Fighting Time
by Becky Sky
Summary: Problems arise as Theresa's powers grow, making her a real threat to Cronus. When he kidnaps her father, it sets off a chain of events that may lead to his ultimate destruction... or theirs. Could they possibly be fighting time... for the last time? JT, A
1. Minds

**Fighting Time**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Class of the Titans, or any of its characters. Studio B. Productions does.**

Chapter 1: Minds

"No, no, no, Theresa!" Persephone scolded. "You're not concentrating! You must make me do your will with all your mind power!" Theresa, fiery-haired, and a great fighter, sighed in frustration. "It's too hot to concentrate," she complained. Persephone frowned at her. "It should never be too hot to practice with your powers. You never know when they'll come in handy saving theworld."

_And Archie though I was the drama queen,_ Theresa thought. "Please, Ms. Persephone, can I take a rest?" she begged pleadingly.

"Fine." Persephone waved her hand dismissively.

Theresa bolted out of the solarium and through the janitor's closet. She ran to her dorm room and collapsed on the bed, sighing in contentment as the cool air washed over her.Her sheets were cool and clean, and she felt so refreshed already. She thought of Jay, Archie, Atlanta, and Herry working out in the gym and grinned wickedly. _Hmmm,_ she thought. _Maybe it isn't too hot to be practicing my powers._

She got up and walked casually through the dorm, over to the school, and to the gym. She stood leaning against a pillar watching her friends exercise under the guidance of Jay, who was so serious about Cronus he was almost like Persephone. She smiled. The others would owe her a lot of pizza after this.

"Hey guys!" she called, waving. Jay turned towards her smiling. They made eye contact. That was all she needed. Her brow furrowed as she concentrated hard. Jay's eyes widened, but Theresa already had him under her control. "Let them rest the remainder of the day," she said slowly and sweetly.

He nodded mindlessly and turned to the others. "You may rest," he said, his voice empty and hollow.

Atlanta and Archie turned and stared at Theresa, their jaws dropped in astonishment.

Theresa shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably. "What?"

Jay shook his head to clear it. "What- what just happened?"

Herry, Archie, and Atlanta looked at one another and came to a silent agreement. "Nothing," they chimed, and rushed out of the gym, Atlanta in the lead of course, leaving an astounded Jay and smirking Theresa.

"What did you do?" he demanded. Theresa grinned. "As if I'd tell you," she teased, and began to flounce away. Jay caught her hand. Theresa froze. Jay realized what he'd just done, and rubbed his neck uncomfortably. "Come on, spill it," he said lamely. Theresa blushed. "Um, uh- not right now,' she stuttered, then hurried away. _Wow. That was awkward._

Back in her dorm room, Theresa was visited by an ecstatic Atlanta, who bounced into her room with questionable energy. Theresa was so hot she was sweating through her clothes, even with the air conditioning on, and here was Atlanta, bouncing around like a jackrabbit. She sighed. Lucky her.

"What the heck did you _do?_ Hypnotize him or something?" She halted her exuberant ramble as the answer struck her like one of Mr. Suez's lightning bolts. "You did, didn't you?"

Theresa shrugged in embarrassment. "What's the big deal? You guys knew I had strange powers before."

"The big deal is that you're finally using them more!" Atlanta exclaimed. "We'll be able to use your abilities against Cronus a lot more now!"

"Whoa! I don't think I'm good enough for that yet!"

Atlanta stared at her, and then put her hands on her hips. "Don't be stupid," she snapped. "You fought against Hecate, goddess of sorcery, and won! You can obviously defeat Cronus."

_That's what I'm afraid of,_ thought Theresa.

"Aaaah, how relaxing," Cronus sighed, lounging comfortably on Miami Beach, white sand between his toes, and a pink umbrella shading his eyes. He was trying to decide whether or not to take a dip in the turquoise green ocean, or to just stay there and sleep. But suddenly he got the feeling that something was wrong. He groaned and got up, stalking away to a private part of the beach.

He raised his grey, chalky hand, creating a large void in the air. Suddenly an image appeared, and voices became clear. He glared as the figures of two girls came into view. One, short, red-haired, and frowning, was standing over a taller, fiery red head, who was staring right back at her.

Atlanta and Theresa, he thought, deciding to listen in on their conversation. It might prove to be vital in his conquest to take over the world once more.

"Don't be stupid," Atlanta was saying. "You fought against Hecate, goddess of sorcery, and won! You can obviously defeat Cronus."

WHAAT?! He wanted to yell. How dare she- a mere mortal- even SUGGEST that Theresa, whose physic powers were not even developed fully- could defeat HIM, the god of time?!!

"Shhh!" Theresa warned. "You shouldn't say things like that."

_You got that right,_ Cronus thought.

"Why not? It's not like Cronus is going to suddenly show up and hurt me," Atlanta taunted. "He's been beaten by us numerous times already. He's pathetic."

"Then explain why he's gotten away from us time after time again," Theresa hissed. "Shut up, before you get us both killed because of your big mouth!"  
"I'm just saying that you have a power that's getting greater by the minute. You could be our key to defeating Cronus, Theresa. Don't underestimate yourself. If you could make grumpy old Jay do what you want, anything's possible."

Cronus was flabbergasted. He watched as Atlanta left the room, leaving a fuming Theresa behind. "Arggh!" she roared, pounding her pillow viciously with her fists.

Snapping his fingers to close the portal, Cronus strolled back to his lounge chair on the beach, but he did not sleep. Instead he mulled over what he had just discovered. Theresa was more of a threat to him now than ever. If that stupid Atlanta was right, Theresa could possibly be the most powerful of the seven, and the largest obstacle in his way to conquering the world. He smiled wickedly. A challenge. He was good at facing and defeating challenges. He would watch Theresa, and strike like an eagle at the best time.

Then she'd be gone forever, and the Oracle's prophecy would never be fulfilled. The rest of her friends would be left to mourn their loss, and he would have his revenge, especially on Jay, Hera's pet. He grinned. This would be fun.

He would have laughed his evil laugh, but he might have been kicked off the beach, and for once in his eternal, immortal life, Cronus just wanted to relax.

It was just after midnight when Atlanta called the meeting. Jay, Herry, Archie, and Odie showed up as planned , fully dressed and quiet, Atlanta frowned as she studied the faces outside her dorm room door. Neil was missing. She motioned for her friends to follow her, and as they tiptoed throughout the dorm, Atlanta couldn't help feeling excited. This was how she felt when she hunted deer: anxious, excited, and nervous. She loved the stealth and the challenge of not getting caught, but she was wondering if this was worth the risk.

_I mean, it's not as though Theresa can't handle her powers_, she thought. But then she had a disturbing thought: could she?

She shook her head. It was time to get Neil, go to the park, and talk about Theresa's growing abilities and powers, not for second thoughts.

She gulped, praying to any gods that would listen that they wouldn't get caught. She wasn't afraid of Athena's wrath, but Theresa's. Them holding a meeting without her would be like battling Cronus without weapons. But it had to be done. If Theresa couldn't accept that she was more powerful than ever, they had to come up with a plan to make her accept it.

But Atlanta was puzzled. The way Theresa acted was strange, almost like she knew she was changing, and accepted it, but was AFRAID to fight Cronus with her powers. Atlanta had a gut feeling that something was wrong, but she ignored it as best she could.

Then she realized that she's stopped right in the middle of the hallway. Archie, who had been close at her heels, walked right into her, causing her to stumble. She gasped, preparing to hit the floor, make a lot of racket, wake up Theresa and Athena, and get into twice the amount of trouble. But Neil's luck was on her side. Archie caught her around the waist, helping her to stay on both feet. Just then Neil came out of his bedroom door. He squinted at his friends, then seeing Archie with his hands around Atlanta's waist, raised his blonde eyebrows.

"Did I miss something here?"

"No, of course not!" Atlanta whispered, blushing furiously. She felt Archie's hands slide off her waist, and she knew that his cheeks had two little pink dots on them, like he always did when he was embarrassed. As Neil and the rest started off down the hall, she and Archie lagged behind.

"Thanks, for, uh, catching me," she stammered.

"No problem. Anytime." He grinned. He was glad that Atlanta and him were at least more comfortable around each other than Jay and Theresa were. Every time something between them happened, they tried to pretend it didn't. With him and Atlanta, they accepted it and moved on with their lives. He was seriously starting to think about giving Jay a little bit of advice about how to handle girls.

"Umm, Archie, comin'?" He looked to see Atlanta on the other side of the hallway already. He grinned. "Yep," he whispered.

Just as he joined Atlanta, he heard something. They were outside Theresa's door now, and he thought he heard snoring.

"What the-"

Atlanta's hand snaked out to slap across his mouth.

"Shh," she whispered I his ear, her warm breath tickling his eardrum. "And she's not snoring, I don't think. It sounds more like crying. You go ahead to the park. I wanna see what's up with her. I'll catch up later. Okay?"

Archie nodded, and Atlanta's hand dropped, and she gave him a subtle push towards the stairs. Then she knocked on Theresa's door, pretending to yawn with exhaustion.

"Come in,' Theresa sniffed.

" I was trying to sleep when I heard you crying," she lied. Theresa looked up from her tear-soaked pillow. " You sleep in your day clothes?"

"What? Oh, yeah, more comfy, you know?"

"Righht. What's really going on?" Theresa asked. "Or do I want to know?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Atlanta said hurriedly. "Why were you crying?"

Theresa sighed. "I don't think you'd be able to help."

Atlanta was getting a bit annoyed. "Well, of course not if you don't tell me what the problem is!"

"Okay. Well, you know how my dad treats me like a princess, showering me with gifts and stuff?"

"Yeahh…" Atlanta wondered where Theresa was going with this.

"Well, he just called me today and said that for my 18th birthday, he was going to enrol me in an all-girls boarding school in London, England!"

"Whaat? When did you learn about this?"

"Just now. Daddy forgot about time zones."

"Just say no," Atlanta said desperately. Suddenly they had a much bigger problem on their hands.

" I can't. Daddy doesn't take no for an answer. He would come here and get me if he had to. But I can't leave! I have you, and, and…"

"Jay…" Atlanta hinted. Theresa blushed.

"And Odie, Herry, Neil, and Archie. And I have to help defeat Cronus. Don't I? It's not like I'm not needed, right? RIGHT???" she cried despairingly.

"Of course you're needed," Atlanta said hurriedly. Theresa covered her face with her hands, beginning to cry again. "What am I going to do? My birthday's next week!"

"Um, I'll think of something, don't worry," Atlanta assured her, although she didn't know if she could.


	2. Cronus

Chapter 2: Cronus

Cronus clapped his hands together excitedly, like a small child opening a gift on Christmas. He had just witnessed Theresa's dilemma. "If Theresa goes to boarding school, than that's the end of the heroes." He frowned. "But only for awhile." He sighed. "Agnon," he said to his huge Cyclops henchman, "it looks like you have some work to do."

Agnon came forward to stand beside his master as he watched Theresa's friends hurry through the moonlight to the park. "First of all, break up that meeting. They can't fix the problem if they're too busy trying to save their own lives." He grinned. "Meanwhile, I'm going to pay Theresa a little visit." He sighed dramatically. "The only thing I regret is leaving this warm, relaxing beach. "Why can't my job ever be easy?"

Jay tried not to fall asleep as he followed Atlanta, Archie, Neil, Odie, and Herry to the park near the brownstone. He found it hard to think of anything when he was too tired.

The group reached a small secluded part of the park and sat down on benches facing each other, careful not to sit in any place where birds had left presents.

"So, what exactly is the problem?" asked a very annoyed Neil. Jay and the others all stared at Atlanta. After all, she was the one who had dragged them all out here in the first place.

"Where's Theresa?" Herry asked, yawning. Yes, our big brawny boy just wanted to get back to sleep. Yes, he wanted his teddy for warmth and comfort. Yes, he wanted a taste of Granny's homemade chocolate chip cookies. But when it came to his friends, Herry was willing to chuck all this aside and concentrate. As… best… as… he… could…

Herry was out by the time Atlanta had cleared her throat to speak. She frowned and elbowed him in the ribs. _Hard._ "Ouch!" Herry was jolted awake. He stared down at Atlanta. "You wanna pick a fight with_ me?_"

Odie sighed. "Let it go, Herry," he said good-naturedly. Herry slumped down in a pout, tired and starting to feel just a bit too chilly.

"Now, Atlanta began. "I've called this meeting here to talk about Theresa. As we all know…"

"What about Theresa?" Jay interrupted. "Is she sick? Is she quitting the team?" Thoughts pounded through his brain. _She can't leave. Not now. Not when I…_

Atlanta cleared her throat again, and glared at Jay. "As I was _saying, before we were so rudely interrupted,_ -"

"Ummm, Atlanta," began Odie.

"Not right now."

"Atlanta," Neil started.

"Guys! Stop interrupting! Sheesh!"

"Look out behind you!" yelled the boys. She turned around and gasped. She raised her arm, and then realized that she had forgotten her laser bow. She looked at the others and realized that they too had forgotten their weapons. And right in front of them was the Nemean lion.

a/n: Sorry if this chapter is a bit short. It's a cliff-hanger. What will happen? Will they all be eaten up by the lion? Will they realize this can't possibly be the Nemean Lion because it's DEAD? Who knows? (except me) lol. And you, when you read the next chapter. Don't forget to review! -Becky


	3. Battles

Chapter Three: Battles

Theresa tossed and turned in bed, trying to get to sleep. Her thoughts were churning, and she thought that her heart would break if she had to leave for good. She thought of all the things she hadn't said, all the things she hadn't done. Defeating Cronus, letting Archie win an argument… telling Jay how she felt. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she thought of leaving it all behind- for good. Would they find someone to replace her? Would it be a girl who was prettier than her, and that Jay would feel attracted to? Would they all forget her and act as though she had never been? Her mind tormented her, sending her into a fit of tossing. Rain pounded on the window, and then…

_Atlanta is facing a huge, growling lion, who lunges at her, teeth glowing with saliva. Archie risks his own life to push Atlanta out of the way. Herry attacks the lion from behind, trying to tackle it, while Neil stands to one side, terrified and screaming. Jay is facing off with Agnon, holding a tree branch instead of his xiophos. His face is set and grim, and he leaps up…_

Theresa woke up, her sweat mingling with her tears. Her friends! They were in trouble! But where were they? Theresa closed her eyes and concentrated hard. _Trees, benches, a river._ The park. What were they doing there? Theresa had no time to wonder. She tumbled out of bed, and raced for the door, not bothering to change her clothes. As she touched the door handle, an unseen force blasted her across the room, knocking her against the wall. The breath knocked out of her, she struggled to sit up, gasping for breath. She looked up to see to midnight black eyes glaring down at her cruelly.

"Going somewhere?" the god asked.

Atlanta tried to yell as the lion lunged at her, but was knocked aside as Archie dived, pushing her aside. She fell to the ground, Archie landing on top of her. "Thanks for saving me," she said, scrambling to her feet as he nodded wordlessly. They turned to face the monster, only to see Herry trying to tackle it from behind.

Atlanta looked around, trying to find a weapon. She noticed that Jay had grabbed a tree branch, and was facing off with Agnon, who was raising a club to bash him. "Watch out!" she screamed, and was filled with relief when he dove out of the way.

"Odie, what is this thing?" Archie asked, using a piece of metal he had found to fend off the lion's huge claws. "I thought the Nemean lion was dead!"

"So did I!" Odie said, frowning. "Cronus must have brought it back from the past."

"Ughh," Atlanta groaned. "He just had to set a man-eating lion on us after I stuffed myself with turkey last night. I think I ate more than Herry did!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Herry asked, trying to keep his hold on the lion's back, rodeo-style.

"Forget it!" Atlanta yelled. "Now where am I going to find a weapon?"

She searched frantically around, and an idea came to her as she saw Neil trying to hide behind a bush. She marched over and grabbed his arm. "Come on, Neil, we need your luck." Neil struggled against her hold. "He'll mess up my hair!" he protested. She glared at him. "You won't _have_ any hair if you don't come," she growled. He let out a squeak of horror, and reluctantly let her lead him to where Archie and Herry were fighting the monster. "Now just stand between where Arch and Herry are fighting the lion, and where Jay is fighting Agnon. Then let your luck do the rest." Neil complied, although only for the sake of his beautiful blonde hair. Atlanta dashed off to help Jay, snatching a huge branch off the ground as she did so. "Hello, Agnon," she said. "If you think you're going to win this fight, you'd better have a good excuse for losing when Cronus asks. Because you are going_ down._"

**a/n: How did you like that chapter? I try to keep the characters as much like they are in the show. I hope you like my story so far. I will try to update as soon as possible. Please review!-Becky**


	4. Sparks

Chapter 4: Sparks

Theresa glared at Cronus, wishing that for once, looks could kill. "Don't you know? You're the one who set the lion on them," she said sarcastically.

Cronus stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That was a stroke of genius, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Yah, considering you're not that smart in the first place," Theresa spat.

"Theresa, Theresa, don't you know that you NEVER insult a god?" Cronus' scythes suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and he took a swing at her. She ducked, dropping to the ground and rolling away.

"Missed," she said.

Cronus grinned. "I'm just getting warmed up." He swung his scythe down to cut her, but she rolled away again, standing up on her feet. She looked around desperately for her nun chucks, and then remembered that they were in the armoury. There was only one thing she could use: her psychic powers. As she dodged Cronus' swings, she tried to concentrate deep inside of herself. She imagined Cronus' scythes turning against him, swinging at their master instead of her. Then she put all her energy into forcing that thought outwards, so that it actually happened. Sparks flew as the energy flowed from her body, and she felt the power drain out of her. Her knees buckled as she tried to stay standing.

Cronus was speechless as his own scythes flew from his grasp and began to attack him. He dodged left and right to avoid their lethal wounds. Then they disappeared as he snapped his fingers twice. He smiled down evilly at Theresa. "Neat trick," he commented. Then his grin got wider. "For a teenager." Fire spurted from his hands and blasted towards Theresa. She gasped and tried to remember the spells she had learned while fighting Hecate. "Onos claso mayboyac," she babbled, praying to any and every god that she had gotten it right. The fire only dwindled a little. Without the torches, her magic wasn't strong enough. She ran to the right, but not fast enough. Her arm got singed by the edge of the flames, and as the torrent crashed against the wall, it caught on fire. Theresa wondered where Athena was, then remembered in terror that the gods had stayed late at the school for a certain important meeting. She was alone, and losing. She cradled her hurt arm tenderly, determined to stay alive. She looked inside herself and imagined Jay. Suddenly thoughts came washing into her brain. _Must defeat Cronus. Must stay alive. Must find out if Theresa' all right. _Theresa smiled. She was in Jay's brain. _Jay,_ she thought. _Come back to the school as quick as you can. I'm in trouble. I need your help. Now. Cronus…_ Theresa was cut off as she saw another fireball coming towards her. She rolled out of the way, wincing as she rolled onto her injured arm. She searched for a way out. Cronus blocked the door. The only way out was through the ring of fire that was what was left of her wall. She took a chance and dashed for the wall, leaping through the hole into whatever waited below.

Jay was startled as a voice exploded in his brain. It was Theresa's. _Jay, come back to the school as quick as you can. I'm in trouble. I need your help. Now. Cronus…_ her voice suddenly stopped, and a pang of horror came over Jay. But he couldn't help her right now. He felt torn, but he had to help Atlanta and the others. Then he had an idea. "Pull back!" he shouted. The others stared at him like he was crazy. "I said pull back!" he roared, and the others reluctantly agreed. "Neil, stay there," Jay commanded. Much to the others' amazement, Jay's plan worked. With the heroes out of the way, the lion caught sight of Agnon, a much bigger and meatier pray. It licked its lips hungrily, then sprang at the giant, who raised his club in defence. While the two monsters fought, the six heroes hurried away.

"Theresa's in trouble," Jay panted between breaths as the friends sprinted away. "Cronus must have her, because that was the last word I heard…"

The others looked confused. "She used telepathy to get inside my brain," he explained. He almost stopped running for a moment. "I wonder how much she knows…"

"Why, little dirty secrets you don't want her to know?" Neil asked loftily. Jay glared at him.

"It's an invasion of privacy, that's all," he said.

"Whatever. Now come on, guys," Atlanta urged, putting on a burst of speed. As they reached the brownstone they stopped dead in shock. Part of the upper floor was in flames, and they saw Cronus fighting someone in the street. They gasped. It was Theresa. And she was on fire.

**a/n: ohhh, I love cliff-hangers! This is all for right now. This weekend I'm going to my dad's so I won't be able to update, and that's why I wrote two chapters to keep you busy. I'll update as soon as I can. I won't leave you hanging. Thank you everyone who's been reviewing, and keep your reviews coming in. I appreciate the support. Thanks so much, and have a great weekend. - Becky **


	5. Burned Out

Chapter 5: Burned Out

Theresa gasped as she felt the fire running over her arms, licking the night with their flames. She couldn't believe she'd been able to absorb the energy and thrust it outwards towards Cronus. It had been such a surprise, and allowed her to hold her own against Cronus.

Sweat poured down her face as she concentrated on fighting Cronus. _It gives a new meaning to fighting fire with fire, _she thought, grinning grimly. She thrust another fireball at Cronus, but it only came out as a spurt of smoke. She'd run out of energy. Alarmed, she looked up to see another flame rushing towards her. She got ready to absorb the energy. Suddenly heat absorbed her, and she screamed from the pain. Her energy was spent, and she was up in flames. Screaming in pain and fear, she dropped onto the ground and began to roll for all she was worth.

Panic ran through Jay's mind as he saw Theresa covered in fire. He began to run towards her, and the others followed. Jay went to help Theresa, while Atlanta, Archie, Herry, and Odie went after Cronus.

Cronus smiled. His job here was done- for now. He disappeared through his void in the air, leaving the heroes to help Theresa as best she could.

"Herry!" yelled Odie. "Get the garden hose and attach it to the hydrant!" He pointed at the fire hydrant at the corner of the street. Herry and Atlanta rushed to get the hose, while Neil tried to help Theresa avoid rolling into the road. "Over to the left a bit, Theresa," he said. "No, the right!" Jay shouted as Theresa nearly got run over by a truck that just revved by without stopping to help. Herry and Atlanta returned carrying the hose, which they quickly attached to the hydrant, turning it on and dousing Theresa from head to foot. She stopped rolling and tried to stand, her drenched hair hanging wet in front of her face.

She took a few hesitant steps forward, then nearly collapsed from weakness. Jay caught her in his arms before she hit the ground. The night was starting to cool, the rain having stopped long ago. Theresa shivered and looked up at her friends dazedly.

"Looks like you're burned out, Theresa," Neil joked, but looked sheepish when Atlanta glared at him.

Theresa laughed weakly. "Yeah," she said. She stepped out of Jay's arms and tried to walk again, only to have her knees buckle under her. Odie and Herry caught her by both arms, and helped her to stay upright.

"Come on, we need to get her to Chiron," Jay said to his friends. "Herry, you carry her. It's obvious she's too weak to walk on her own."

Theresa groaned. She didn't like being carried, and she definitely didn't like being called weak. She struggled out of her friends' grasp, only to be scooped up into Herry's arms like a sack of potatoes. Too exhausted to struggle anymore, she let herself be carried over to the school, where Chiron and the other gods were waiting, Odie having called Hermes on his PMR.

"This is very strange indeed." Chiron confirmed the teens' thoughts. But for Atlanta, it cleared up one mystery. _No wonder she's afraid to use her powers. They're too unpredictable. They could kill her._

The teens jumped as Theresa groaned, opening her eyes. She had blacked out on the way over to the school, and hadn't come to for over an hour.

She blinked, and then looked around, disoriented. "Where am I?" she asked, confused. Then she remembered. "Oh."

Jay took her hand and squeezed it tightly. "Glad to see you awake," he said, relieved that she was okay. Theresa beamed at him. "Glad to be awake," she replied. Then she sat bolt upright. "Did you get Cronus?"

Odie shook his head ruefully. "Sadly, no."

Theresa sighed. "I almost had him."

"Yeah, what was up with the whole burning up thing?" asked Archie curiously.

Theresa shook her head, mystified herself. "That's the weird thing," she said. "It's as though I _absorbed_ the fire he threw at me, then used it against him. Sadly, I couldn't hold out very long."

"But how did it happen? Are your powers that strong?" Atlanta asked. Theresa shrugged. "I guess so, but it's just happening so fast. Suddenly, it's as though I have all this power at my disposal." Then she groaned . "Not like I'll get to use it anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Jay, confused. Theresa looked up at him, frowning. "Don't you know, Jay, or did Atlanta not tell you and the others when you met in the park without me?" she asked coldly. "I'm leaving."

**a/n: ohh, how will Jay react? I'll put the next chapter up soon. Hope you like it! **


	6. Leaving

Chapter 6: Leaving

Jay's world was suddenly whirling, and he needed to sit down. Theresa- leaving? How? Why? Tears came to his eyes as he thought of losing the fiery girl who had become such a dear friend- maybe more. But he had never told her how he felt, and maybe now he'd never get the chance. _Come on, Jay_, he told himself. _You're a coward. You can fight the god of time but you can't tell a girl your feelings._ He was angry, at her, and at himself.

"You're leaving, are you?" he asked coolly. "Says who?"

"My dad," Theresa said defensively.

"Why don't you just force him to let you stay?"

"It's not that easy. I may be able to control minds, Jay, if he were here to control. He's not going to come and get me, even though he would if he really wanted to. He expects me to go to him. My dad is an influential man. He has friends in high places. His word is law. If I refuse, he'll do something drastic, like investigate the school. And we all know something we'd like to keep to ourselves, right?" She glared at her friends. "Dad can't find out about Cronus, or else you can kiss the mission goodbye. He'd have the school shut down, claiming its run by maniacs!"

"So you're just going to leave?" Atlanta asked.

"Unless you guys can think of another plan. I don't have to leave for another week. If we can defeat Cronus before the week's over, we won't have to worry anymore, will we?" But she didn't look convinced. She sighed and laid back on the bed that the gods had set up for her. Closing her eyes, she pictured the scene where they all say goodbye. She couldn't. She couldn't imagine leaving this place, these people. Especially Jay. A tear leaked from her eye, trickling down her cheek. She felt it being wiped away by a warm, soft finger, and opened her eyes to see Jay's concerned face staring down at her. "We'll think of something," he said softly. "That's a promise. We're not going to let you go so easily. Right guys?" He glanced at his friends, who all nodded their agreement.

Cronus watched this touching scene with disgust. "I thought I'd gotten rid of that Theresa for good. I guess I'll have to dig a little deeper, work a little harder, to get to the goal." He looked at Agnon, who had a lot of scars and wounds after his scuffle with the lion. "You, my friend, are going to do me a favour to make up for your failure with the lion. You are going to kidnap Theresa's father. Then, like I know she will-" He paused, grinning with satisfaction, "-she'll play right into the trap."

Theresa woke up in the gym on her pallet, with her friends sprawled on the floor all around her. Jay was leaning against her pallet, holding her hand. Atlanta was sleeping against Archie's shoulder, while he leaned against a pillar, gently snoring. Herry was laid out on the floor, his giant chest heaving up and down as he snored loudly. Odie was curled up, and Neil had been prim enough to get a pallet for himself and lie down on it. She was glad to have the comfort of her friends around her. She couldn't imagine life without them. Life without them was like fighting without her powers or her nun chucks. She wouldn't do it. Beside her, Jay stirred, opening his eyes and smiling up at her. "Another day, another twenty-four hours to try and defeat Cronus," he commented.

Theresa suddenly wondered something. "Jay, do you ever get bored, doing the same thing all the time. I mean, trying to defeat Cronus?"

Jay pondered this for a moment. "Sometimes," he said at last. Theresa stood up, yawning, letting her hand slip from his. "Let's go out for breakfast," she suggested. He raised his eyebrows. "In your pyjamas?"

She shrugged carelessly. "So? I'm hungry, and it's not like we can go to the dorm. I have a feeling that it's going to be under construction for awhile. Besides, it's not like anyone's going to care. People wear their pyjamas out all the time." She grabbed Jay's hand and dragged him out of the gym, leaving their comrades to sleep contentedly.

She laughed gaily. "Come on Jay. For once, let's enjoy ourselves and forget about Cronus and everything else."

Theresa's father sat at his desk, writing up a report. Suddenly, the phone rang. Sighing, he picked it up. _Sometimes I wish I didn't have such a busy job._ He thought of all the times he had had to leave little Theresa because of his job. All the times he had missed her birthday, all the times he had missed meeting a boyfriend. He shook his head at himself ruefully as he picked up the phone.

"Hello? Oh, Roger! How are you? I'm fine. Good to hear from you, old friend…"

A huge shadow fell across his desk, causing him to look up. "Just what, Roger, I have a visitor… what the…?" Suddenly all went black. Seconds later, on the other end of the line, Roger was puzzled. "Hello? Hey- hello? What's going on! Hello..."

Atlanta woke up drooling on Archie's shoulder. She yawned, stretching her arms. Sitting up, she shook Archie awake. "I'm going on my morning jog," she whispered. "You want to come?" Archie nodded drowsily. "Sure." He got up, stretching and yawning. "Hey, where's Theresa and Jay?" he asked, looking around for his friends.

Atlanta shrugged. "Probably out for breakfast."

"You're not worried over last night?"

"I'm sure they can take care of themselves, Archie. They're not babies. They don't need us looking over their shoulders all the time. Sheesh. Now let's go for a jog." Pulling Archie along by his arm, she led him out of the gym. Odie, Neil, and Herry were left to sleep off the long night, oblivious to the absence of their friends.

Halfway across the world, on a quiet country road, a lone giant was walking, carrying a motionless man. Agnon was glad this job was done. He just wanted to rest, and, for once in his long life, he wanted to forget about Cronus.


	7. Early Morning Relaxation For Now

Chapter Seven: Early Morning Relaxation- For Now…

"Ahhh," Theresa sighed contentedly, leaning back from the table to rest her head against the back of the bench she was sitting on. Across from her sat Jay, finishing his breakfast and looking around cautiously. Theresa laughed. "I'm sure Cronus doesn't like cafes," she joked. "So you can stop worrying now."

Jay laughed faint-heartedly. "Sorry about that. It's just that he's become so unpredictable. Last night was proof of that."

Theresa shrugged. "He's always been unpredictable. That's nothing new. Remember when he set Orion on us? I definitely didn't see that coming."

Jay pondered her statement. "True," he agreed. "You've got a point."

Theresa grinned. "Why, thank you for letting me be right for once," she giggled. They both burst out laughing at their predicament.

"I can't believe… I'm … in my pyjamas…eating in a café… because the god of time… decided to interrupt my beauty sleep…" Theresa gasped between spurts of laughter.

"People must think we're crazy!" Jay grinned, laughing so hard that he thought he'd fall off his seat. The waitress who had waited on them came over, a frown on her face. She was one of those types of kids who didn't care a fig what people thought, and got a job because she needed the money to waste, and not to try and get into a good college or university. "You know," she said to Jay, "I was going to ask you out, but now I think you need mental help. You and her both." She glared at Theresa, then flounced away, nose in the air.

Theresa and Jay stopped laughing for a moment. "Is she allowed to do that?" Theresa asked. It was quiet for a moment, and then they burst out laughing again.

Archie felt all the rush and hassle of last night (was it really only just last night?) drain away as he jogged, the rhythmic breathing of Atlanta beside him echoing his own. They jogged through the park to the boardwalk along the ocean, where they remembered spending many a day watching Jay sail, and Theresa, Odie, Herry, and Neil playing beach volleyball. It was a quiet place this early in the morning, and Archie loved the way the sun rose over the water, sending a soft golden glow over the water, and everything else. He began to take mental notes for a poem.

Atlanta wanted to jog faster, and leave this all behind, but she wanted to jog with Archie, so she kept her speed in check. She glanced over at her friend and noticed that he was deep in thought. She looked out at the ocean and instantly knew why. She stopped for a moment to pit her arms over the railing and just look for once. "Isn't it beautiful, Archie?" she asked dreamily. This was so mush better than dull Northwest Territories up north. This was spectacular. The north had its moments, too, just to be fair, but in all her life she hadn't seen anything like this, which just took her breath away. Archie joined her, his eyes holding a faraway look that Atlanta had seen numerous times before. It meant he was thinking about writing another poem. She smiled to herself. He was such a funny guy. One moment, cautious and suspicious, the next moment, argumentative, and the next, sensitive and totally shy.

"Come on, Arch, let's go," she said, breaking the silence. "Let's jog."

Herry's constant snoring was what woke Odie up. He yawned and checked his watch, gaping when he saw the time. "It's eight o'clock!" he exclaimed. "I've never slept in this late!" He tried to wake up Herry, only to be mashed into a bear hug.

"Teddy," Herry murmured sleepily. He turned over onto his side, Odie squashed between his arms.

"This isn't good," Odie said aloud. "Neil, Theresa, Jay, Atlanta? Help? Anybody?"

Poor Odie. Little did he know that only five minutes before, Neil had arisen to go for a shower, and we all know how long he takes. And the rest were out on their jog and breakfast date, so Odie was going to be stuck for a little while longer.

Annie, the waitress who has so rudely addressed Jay and Theresa, was getting annoyed with their spurts of laughter. They were too happy for a Sunday morning. She strode over to them. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave," she said. "You're scaring away the customers." That part was a lie. If anyone scared off customers, it was her. But who cared? She just wanted these crackerjacks out of the café. Now.

"But…" Theresa started.

"Out! Before I get my broom!"

"But…"

"NOW!" Annie got a broom from the kitchen, and, waving it around like a madwoman, drove Jay and Theresa out of the café.

"But don't you want us to pay the bill?" Theresa asked as the door swung shut. Annie either had heard and ignored them, or hadn't heard at all. Jay and Theresa looked at each other and shrugged. "Make a mental note to never come to this café again," Theresa commented. "I've never seen such a scary waitress."

"Almost reminds me of Cronus," Jay deadpanned. Then a smile started at the corner of his mouth, giving him a lopsided, puppy-dog look. And they both burst out laughing- again.

Annie watched from the café window, glad to have those two lunatics out of her café, which was now depressingly dark. Just the way she liked it. But she had the feeling she had forgotten something…

**A/n: This was mostly just a funny chapter, just to lighten the mood of the story a little. I hope you like it, and it was funny enough. Just in case you were wondering, I got the idea of Annie's dark mood from Chloe, the sister from the cartoon Carl Squared. I'll update soon. Please review! - Becky**


	8. Another Day, Another Vision

Chapter 8: Another Day, Another Vision

Theresa was still smiling as she and Jay walked down the sidewalk towards the school. On a whim, she decided to visit the Oracle. She pulled Jay towards the downtown area. The small, green man, who reminded Theresa of a space alien, was still at his booth, shuffling cards and staying out of the way of busy passers-by.

Jay wanted to ask her why they were here, but didn't have the time as Theresa questioned the Oracle. "Oracle, how strong are my powers?"

The Oracles' orb appeared as the Oracle leaned forward to look inside it, probing it for answers. He raised his eyebrows in silent surprise. "All I see is- danger." He looked up. "You must be very careful, Theresa."

"But that doesn't-"

"I can't say anything more than what I see. What I see is up to the powers within the orb to decide." He stared at her harshly. "But what I do know is, that with more power, you become in even more danger than ever."

Atlanta and Archie had finished their jog, and were entering the gym to see if Herry, Neil, and Odie were up and about yet. What they found amused the socks off them. Herry was snoring loudly, and in his arms, cuddled like a teddy bear, was a frustrated-looking Odie. "Finally!" He exclaimed. "A little help here, guys?"

Atlanta grinned. "Sure thing, Odie," she said, and went over to where Herry lay. "Granny's here, and she brought cookies!!!!" she yelled. Herry woke up faster than Odie could blink.

"Granny?" he looked around, puzzled. "Where's Granny?"

Atlanta smiled. "Oops, my mistake."

Herry then noticed poor Odie trapped in his grasp, and let him go, even more shocked. "How'd you get in there?"

Odie waved his hand dismissively. "Long story."

Just then Neil entered, looking crisp and clean after his long, cool shower.

"Did I miss a party?"

Archie rolled his eyes. "No need to worry, you only missed Atlanta becoming the girl who saved Odie."

"What?" Neil asked, not getting the joke.

"Gee, Neil, I always knew you were shallow, but are you that slow too?" Atlanta asked.

Neil frowned. "You can make fun of me all you want, but you'll be sorry when I'm rich and famous, and you're the clown everyone throws tomatoes at."

Atlanta clenched her fists, extremely annoyed. "Oh yeah, well-" She wasn't going to let Neil get the last word.

"Guys, stop," Odie intervened, forever the peacekeeper. "Let's just focus on getting some breakfast."

The others agreed, and they decided to go to the small café down the street. They headed off; not knowing what horror awaited them at the café…

Jay glanced at Theresa in worry as they walked away from the Oracle. She was frowning, frustrated with his answer. "Why did he tell me something that I kinda already _know_?"

"Maybe it's so you realize how important it is you stay safe," Jay suggested, and hoped that Theresa would take the Oracle's advice.

Theresa sighed. "I can take care of myself. You don't have to go-"

She was interrupted as a vision clouded her mind. _Her dad, Agnon, and a lonely country road, somewhere in England._ She gasped, her mind clearing. Cronus had her father? "Daddy!"

She looked over at Jay to see him staring at her, concern apparent in his big, chocolate eyes. "What's the matter, Theresa?"

"Cronus has my father," Theresa exclaimed. She grabbed his hand and started to drag him towards the school. "We have to tell the others! We have to save him!"

Cronus watched from his porthole, rubbing his hands together in glee. "My plan is falling into place perfectly," he murmured. "Now all I need is to shave. I look so old with this beard. I'll never attract a queen this way."

Archie was puzzled. He had thought that this café was going to be more sunny and welcoming. You didn't attract customers with cobwebs and scary waitresses who stared at you all the time, watching so that you were too nervous to eat. He'd have to write a poem about this.


	9. A Little Old?

Chapter 9: A Little Old?

Theresa and a poor, flabbergasted Jay exploded into Persephone's solarium, Theresa galloping about like a horse, dragging Jay along behind her. The gods were gathered in the solarium, and looked annoyed at the disturbance. But when they heard what had happened, they looked sober. Hera immediately took charge. "You will not go after them," she declared, much to the amazement of an angry Theresa.

"Why not?" she demanded. "He's my father!"

"And the bait," Persephone said, frowning. "We'll just have to wait and see what Cronus does. If he can't get you out in the open, like I'm sure he does, he won't hurt your father. He's his bargaining chip. And with powers like you showed last night, it's no wonder he wants you, Theresa."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked. Theresa looked just as confused.

Persephone sighed. "Cronus has always been obsessed with power," she began. "So whatever helps him achieve his ultimate goal is what he wants. He has discovered that with you by his side, he's unstoppable. He wants you, most likely, for a queen."

Theresa gaped, and felt her breakfast coming back up. Clutching her stomach, she looked a little green. Jay looked furious and disgusted.

"Isn't he like, a little old for her, don't you think?" he asked harshly.

Persephone and Athena exchanged glances. "This is Cronus we're talking about," they reminded him.

"Oh yeah. That guy must be desperate. What happened? Did his wife divorce him or something?"

"Let's just say that when Rhea found out he was eating their kids, she wasn't too happy."

**A/n: Sorry that it's so short, but I need to update my other stories, and I'm feeling a bit tired. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! -Becky**


	10. Circus Acts

Chapter 10: Circus Acts

That night the heroes slept in the gym again, all on pallets that the gods had laid out for them. The guys had one side of the gym to themselves, and the girls the other.

Atlanta fell asleep instantly, her mind awhirl with thoughts of how they'd defeat Cronus when he had a bargaining tool, but Theresa laid awake, still fuming at the gods decision to not let them go after her father. She suddenly sat up as she realized that the gods couldn't make her stay. She didn't care if Cronus captured her, she wouldn't give him the chance to hurt her father. He was the only family she had left, and she wasn't going to lose him. She remembered her father's stories about her mom, and was determined to keep what family she had… no matter the cost.

Theresa quietly threw back her covers and sat up; glancing around to make sure that everyone was asleep. Relieved, she tiptoed out of the gym, heading over to the ruined dorm to get her keys.

She opened the deserted door of the building and looked around cautiously. Places like these always gave her the creeps, and she hurriedly ran up the stairs to her room, grabbing her keys and wallet off her dresser and scampering out. Silently, she headed over to the garage, where she started her car and drove away, enough money in her pocket to get her a ticket to England, and enough determination to last her a long war against Cronus.

Jay always had a hard time staying asleep once he'd fallen into dreamland, and today was no different. He had developed a gut feeling for when things were wrong, and that was what woke him up that night. _Crud_, he thought as he looked around and noticed that Theresa was gone. He should have known that the vivacious redhead wouldn't take no for an answer. She wouldn't let Cronus take her father from her. Wasn't that one of the things he liked about her? He felt like punching himself over and over again, but knew that wouldn't do any good. He bolted out of the gym to see if he could possibly catch up with her and stop her from making this mistake.

He got outside in time to see her little red sports car speed away down the street, her fiery hair flying out behind her like a banner. He cursed and rushed to the garage, praying that Odie had left the keys in the ignition of the motor bike. As usual, he was right, and hopping on, Jay sped after his friend, hoping that he'd be able to catch up with her in time.

Atlanta groaned and sat up tiredly. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't sleep. She felt an itch to hunt something, or go out for a jog. She often had such impulses at the most inconvenient times due to her hyper-active behaviour. She hated sitting still. She felt guilty as she thought of sleeping as her best friend's dad lay in the clutches of Cronus, and turned to wake Theresa up for a heart to heart talk. Her friend often needed such talks when she was sad, and Atlanta was sure that this was one of those times. As she looked around for her comrade, her heart thumped in genuine fear as she realized that neither her nor Jay were in the gym. Hunter's instinct told her this wasn't good. _Oh great_, she thought. _These past few days have turned into a real circus._

Atlanta sped over to Archie and shook him awake, earning her a muffled curse from her friend. "Archie, its Theresa and Jay," she whispered.

"What about them?"

"They're gone!"

Archie sighed and sat up. "So?"

"I don't think it's good. I think, just from knowing Theresa that she went after her dad and Jay followed her to stop her."

"I wish him luck," Archie grumbled, knowing full well of Theresa's stubborn determination. Atlanta socked him in the arm and told him to knock it off and help her get Herry, Odie, and Neil awake.

As the three other teenagers grumbled and groaned, Atlanta called the second meeting in forty-eight hours.

"Theresa and Jay are missing," she announced to her petulant friends.

"So what? They've finally eloped," Neil called irritably. Atlanta glared at him.

"I think Theresa went to rescue her father, and Jay went after her to stop her."

"And so what are we supposed to do?" Herry asked, confused. "Go and get them both?"

Atlanta nodded. "Definitely."

"Oh great," Herry sighed. He had been hoping he was actually going to get some sleep. He noticed that little Odie had dozed off, and as the others all headed to the garage to get in his pickup truck, he hoisted Odie into his arms and followed, kind enough to let the little guy have some sleep, something not many of them were going to get for awhile.

Archie and Neil climbed into the back of the truck, tucking Odie in between them. Atlanta clambered into the front beside Herry, and the five set off, Neil complaining about his ruffled hair.

Herry braked abruptly and turned around to glare at Neil so viciously that he gave a little squeak and shut up fast. Satisfied, Herry turned back to his driving, and they all quickly drove after their friends.

Jay jerked the bike to the right to avoid colliding with some idiot who had cut in front of him. He could just barely see Theresa's convertible, and he honked at the car in front of him to hurry up. The guy gave him the finger, and Jay shook his head at the rudeness of drivers nowadays. Then Jay did something he knew was dangerous: he passed the car in the same lane they were in, since there was no passing lane. This caused the irate driver to honk loud and long, but Jay sped off after Theresa, determined to catch up. But just then a huge leg landed in front of him, and Jay looked up in horror to see another giant right in front of him, chasing after Theresa's car.

Theresa checked her rear view mirror, and gasped as she saw the giant pursuing her, his big feet crushing any parked cars in the way. Horrified drivers drove out of the way, and she heard the squeal of wheels as a collision occurred, and then saw a familiar bike following her. It was too far behind to tell who it was, but her gut told her it was Jay, and she sighed. Her friends just kept on complicating things.

Her eyes widened in terror as she glimpsed the giant turning on Jay and knocking his bike onto the side. Tires smoked as she did the sharpest U-turn of her life and sped to help him, swerving to avoid oncoming cars. She stalled as she drove up to where Jay was trying to fight off the giant. "Climb in!" she shouted. He turned and dashed towards her, hopping into her car as she turned it around and sped off towards the airport.

"You're going the wrong way!" Jay yelled over the din of people screaming and sirens wailing as cops poured onto the scene.

"No I'm not!" Theresa yelled back. Jay looked over his shoulder to see that the giant was still trying to trail them.

"Never mind!" He looked ahead and gripped the seat tightly as Theresa braked abruptly as a cop car blocked their path.

She gritted her teeth. "Hold on," she muttered to Jay, backing up expertly and speeding off, turning onto an alternate route as the policeman shouted for her to stop. Bullets whizzed past her face as they shot at the fleeing car. As soon as she was out of range she relaxed a bit. "Crud," she cursed. "Now I'm wanted by the law."

Jay sighed. "Remind me to never go off to rescue you again. You don't need it."

Theresa smirked. "Got that right."

Jay looked back, and, seeing that the road was clear, insisted they go back to the school. Theresa braked rapidly, causing Jay to fall forward, hitting his chest against the dashboard. Theresa waved her hands around the open space.

"You're free to go, Jay," she said. "But I'm not going with you. Make your choice."

Jay moaned. He couldn't let her go all alone. "I'll go with you," he said reluctantly.

Theresa grinned. "I knew you were going to say that," she declared. The car began to move again as she hit the gas, and they were once again on their way to England.

Atlanta, Herry, Neil, and Archie's jaws dropped as they came upon the chaos downtown. Another one of Cronus' minions was wreaking havoc, causing the roads to block. Herry stopped the truck, waking Odie up as the others jumped out to fight. Atlanta suddenly realized that none of them had their weapons. All they had was Herry's brute strength and whatever they could get their hands on. Atlanta noticed that police were on the scene, and that they had guns. An idea crossed her mind, and she motioned for her friends to follow her.

**A/n: I kinda got carried away with this chapter, but it was so much fun to write! Hope you all like it!**


	11. Getaway

Chapter 11: Getaway

Atlanta sneaked towards the officers and their guns, hiding behind crushed cars to get there undetected. She sensed Archie and Neil following her, and motioned for them to stay close. When they were within range, she noted that the guns were leaned up against the trunk of the cop cars, all huge rifles that they wouldn't normally use. She smiled grimly. Yep, a giant minion in a city definitely wasn't a normal happening. Except for her and her friends of course.

She turned to Archie and Neil. "I'll go and grab a few guns," she said. "Do any of you know how to use one?"

Archie nodded, but Neil looked sheepish. Atlanta sighed in frustration. "Just use it to hit the giant then, like a baseball bat. You do know how to do that, right?"

Neil looked indignant. "Of course I do!"

"Whatever." With that, Atlanta crouched, ready to spring into action at the best possible moment. As soon as the cop that was closest to the guns turned to talk to his betters, Atlanta used her lightning speed to run, get the guns, and be back to her friends in less then three seconds, an all-time record for her.

She tossed one of the guns with expert skill, and Archie caught it. Then she carefully and delicately handed the other to Neil. He sensed her sarcasm and glared, grabbing the gun the wrong way and setting it off. The police officers all whirled to see who had shot out of turn as Atlanta and Archie grabbed Neil and ducked back behind their hiding place.

"Smooth move, John Wayne," Archie hissed.

Meanwhile, Odie and Herry were trying to find a suitable weapon out of the scraps they found around downtown. Herry found a good scrap of metal and hefted it around, satisfied.

Odie discovered a huge rock that would be perfect for throwing, and tried to pick it up, only to fall over from the weight of it. He sighed in frustration. Herry, noticing his friend's dilemma, came over and easily lifted it.

"I'll get that for ya, little buddy," he said kindly.

Then they turned to face the giant. "LET'S ROCK SLIMO!" Herry bellowed loud enough for even Hercules his mentor to hear and cover his ears in pain.

Atlanta crossed her arms in disgust. While they were trying not to be found by the police, Neil could only complain about his hair. Not for the first time, she wondered why he was even on the team. Sure, he was lucky, but he was more annoying than anything. She cocked the rifle and checked to see if she could get a clear shot at the giant. But what she saw was the stern face of a sergeant.

"Oh man," she muttered as the cop raised his gun, stating for the teens to come out from around the car with their hands up. Atlanta, Archie, and Neil complied, Neil all the while still complaining about the type of conditioner he used.

"Neil, don't you realize that we're kinda like getting **arrested**?" Atlanta hissed angrily.

"So? As long as they don't put us in those disgusting jail cells, I'm fine." He scrunched his nose. "They really should get better plumbing in those places."

Archie tried not to punch Neil in the nose as he clenched his fists in anger, but it didn't matter. With his hands handcuffed behind his back, there was no way he could do that anyway. The three teens were lead away by the police, forced to duck their heads down as they stepped into the back of the squad car. As they drove away, Archie looked back desperately, searching for their friends, hoping that they would be okay.

Archie sighed in aggravation. So far, them messing in Theresa's life had done more harm than good. How were they going to get out of this mess?

Herry raised his left hand and threw the rock that Odie had found at the giant, who stumbled under the intense impact, falling to the ground. But he was momentarily distracted as Odie gasped in total amazement. "No way," he murmured in dread as Herry turned around to look where Odie was staring, shock covering his features like a blanket.

What Herry saw meant that their mission had just gotten much more complicated: Atlanta, Archie, and Neil were being driven away in a cop car.

Herry sighed. Now they would have to organize a jail break. The gods weren't going to like this.

"I'll go after them, and keep in touch with you by PMR," Odie said, running after the cop car. Herry shook his head. "Good luck keeping up," he yelled after his tiny friend.

Odie waved his hand in acknowledgment as he tried to run faster, his short legs carrying him as fast as they could.

Herry turned back to the giant, waving the scrap metal around threateningly as the crony tried to stand. He quickly hit the giant over the head with it, causing the monster to black out. He then turned and began to run after Odie, catching up with him easily.

With the ease of a wrestler, Herry grabbed his darting friend and hoisted him over his shoulder, carrying him like a sack of rice. Food… Herry was starting to get hungry, and his stomach growled in complaint. He checked his PMR for the time, and was amazed to find that it was only three in the morning. Street lights poured their rays onto the road, creating a straightforward path to follow.

Atlanta struggled vainly to get away as the cop led her into the police station, sitting her down in separate interrogation rooms then Neil and Archie.

Another officer came and sat down across from her, a notebook and pen in his hand.

"Now, young lady, do you want to explain why you set a giant on the city?"

"What?" Atlanta gasped, astonished.

"Why did you let the monster out to wreak havoc on the city? Was it to get attention? Or to make a protest against something? I've seen you around before, protesting against pollution and stuff… is this another one of your ideas? Or was it part of a larger plot, to get our guns and do something drastic?" He stared at her intently, his questions coming fast and smoothly, causing Atlanta to become so confused and amazed that she couldn't answer.

"Um… uhh," she stuttered. What had he just asked? If she was a troublemaker? She definitely wasn't. She was just a girl who _peacefully_ objected to animal cruelty and pollution. There was nothing wrong with that, and the police had never intervened before.

Finally Atlanta found her nerve. "You think I'd be stupid enough to let that monster cause harm to innocent citizens?" she spat. "I'm not like that, sir. And as for the guns, I got them so I could shoot the stupid thing, the exact same thing _you_ wanted to do. We're on the same side here!"

The man didn't look convinced. "If you didn't set it loose, who did?"

_Oh great,_ she thought. "If I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

The cop took note of that, and leaned forward in his seat, eager and curious, his eyes daring her to tell him. "Try me."

In the other two interrogation rooms, Neil and Archie weren't doing much better.

In his interrogation room, Archie was arguing with the investigator about why the cop seemed to have a biased dislike of his purple hair.

"Just because I have purple hair doesn't mean I'm some crack head who does drugs and sets monsters loose on the city," Archie argued.

"Well, you certainly look suspicious," the cop rowed.

By the time the clock in the room struck three-thirty, they were in a staring contest, both stubborn and determined not to lose his temper.

Neil's interrogator was a pretty female cop who had a no-nonsense look about her. As she stepped up to enter the room, her comrade stopped her to whisper in her ear. "Watch this one; he tries to distract you with talk of his hair and face. He was doing that the whole way here." Kate, the cop, laughed and thanked her friend for the heads up, but she didn't take him that seriously. Until she entered the room.

"Uhh, the density of this place is making my hair frizz. Eww, and I'm sweating so much, I'll probably get problem skin by the time I'm out of here. I'll have to make sure I use different conditioner next time." Kate's jaw dropped in astonishment, but she quickly regained her composure as she sat down stiffly across from the blonde teen.

"Excuse me," she said politely, trying to get a word in, but the guy just kept talking to himself. "EXCUSE ME!" she yelled, and the boy finally looked at her, an inquiring look on his face as cocked an eyebrow loftily.

"You didn't need to shout."

Kate sighed. This was going to be a long day.

Herry and Odie reached the police station just as a pair of officers came out. "We're going to have to ask you to leave," one of them said. "We have a high profile case going on, and no public are allowed to witness it."

They herded Herry and Odie away, and took up posts outside the station. Herry sighed and slid to the ground, letting Odie go and leaning his head against the wall of the brick building . They were just around the corner from the officers, and Herry was so tired he could have fallen asleep instantly, but he needed to help his friends.

"You'll have to come up with a plan to get our friends out of there, little buddy," Herry said, passing the baton of rescuing their friends to Odie, who nodded and started to look thoughtful, which was a good sign.

Atlanta was furious as two officers shoved her into a jail cell with Archie and Neil. "I demand a lawyer!" she shouted, although she had no idea how she'd afford one.

"Forget it, Atlanta," Neil said gloomily. "It looks like we're stuck here, and I've got a zit."

"You poor thing," Archie jeered. "But right now, we really don't care."

"The gods are going to be sooo mad," Atlanta murmured. "They might even send us to Tartarus and back."

Archie shuddered at the thought. He could imagine Persephone doing that, and Athena and Artemis wouldn't make a move to stop her, agreeing with her form of punishment. Hera wouldn't even give them any pity.

"If only Theresa wasn't so stupid to run off," he said aloud.

"If only we weren't so stupid to go after her without the gods' help," Atlanta corrected. "She only wanted to save her dad. I don't blame her. We'd all do the same thing if it happened to us."

Archie hung his head in shame. She was right. They all would, even Neil, whose self-obsession even had limits.

"I just hope that Herry and Odie can get us out of here."

Jay was still trying to persuade Theresa to go back. And she still kept shaking her head, profoundly refusing. Finally she got so fed up with Jay's pestering that she pulled over to the side of the road.

"Listen, Jay," she said quietly. "I'm going to tell you a story."

**A/n: This is where I stop for today. This is my other Christmas gift to those who read my stories: a good long chapter to keep you happy until I update again. Merry Christmas everyone! Luv, Becky**


	12. Once Upon A Time

Chapter 12: Once Upon A Time

"I was born in London, England, in the finest hospital you would ever find. My mom was a young heiress, and my dad a rich cattle ranch owner. My mom died in a car accident when I was six. I hardly remember her, but Dad's told me she was beautiful, and I look a lot like her. Ever since the day she died, Dad's had to raise me alone. When I started to ride, it was him who was there cheering me on. It was him who encouraged me to take up karate when a bunch of girls started to pick on me. When I got my black belt, he was the one in the crowd beaming with pride. When we moved from London to the countryside, it was him who comforted me. I admit that in the last six years, he hasn't been the dad he should be, and I'm mad at him for that, but I've learned a lot these past two years since I met you and the others. I've become a lot more understanding, and I know Daddy tries his best.

So you see, he's the only family I have, and no matter how many field trips he missed, how many birthdays he forgot, I still love him. I can't let Cronus take him away. Just like I can't let him take away you…" she blushed. "Or the others. It'd be letting him take away a piece of myself."

She paused, letting her words sink into Jay's brain.

Gears were turning in Jay's mind, and he looked up into Theresa's eyes, suddenly realizing how much he really cared for her. He couldn't let Cronus do this to her, take away her father, her dreams, her life in itself. In that instant, Jay made his decision, as rash and silly as it may have been. He had to start taking risks. "Let's go kick Cronus' butt," he said, and Theresa grinned, gunning the engine as she started the car, and they sped off down the road, both determined to take Cronus down once and for all.

Atlanta shook the bars of the jail cell desperately, as if each shake made the bars weaker. Maybe if she had Herry's strength, but sadly she didn't.

"You'll pay for this," she yelled. "I know a guy named Hercules!"

The officer in charge of guarding them shook his head sadly, grinning at his partner. "Poor child, she's delusional. I think we have a psychological case here." His partner nodded her head in agreement.

"You know, it probably won't help if you threaten the police, Atlanta," Archie pointed out, earning him a glare.

He shrugged. "Just stating the facts."

Atlanta sighed, aggravated.

"At least your hair isn't messed up," Neil said jealously.

"Whatever. I just want out of here," Atlanta snapped.

Neil looked offended. "Don't take your looks for granted. Someone might come and mess it up."

Atlanta rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Only in your nightmares, Neil."

Odie was still thinking when he realized that Herry had fallen asleep, sprawled out all over the place, snoring loudly. Cautiously, he poked him with a stick. When that didn't work, he poked him harder, determined not to get squashed and cuddled by Herry this time. Herry groggily awoke, staring at Odie with a blank expression. "What is it?" he asked blearily.

"I think I might have an idea," Odie said. "But it's pretty simple, so I'm not sure it'll work."

"I'm good with simple," Herry pointed out.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Odie muttered. "Sometimes simple doesn't work."

What Odie always overlooked, though, was that sometimes complicated didn't work either. Like when Jay planned to trap Cronus and it failed, causing the god to receive the key to the Antikythera device. That had been disastrous, and Odie should have remembered that, but it was like him to over-complicate things. It was just his nature.

Persephone paced impatiently. It was Monday morning, and Theresa should've been here already. Her clairvoyant pupil was hardly ever late, and she was getting peeved. She stalked out of her solarium, marching over to the gym to see if Herry had arrived for his session with Hercules. He hadn't. She checked in with Hermes to see if Odie had arrived for his lessons, and when she discovered he hadn't, a feeling of dread engulfed her.

It turned out that none of the heroes had arrived for classes, and the gods all met in the gym to worriedly discuss the disappearance of their students.

Suddenly Persephone had a vision. _A red convertible raced down a small country road, a stubborn-faced Theresa driving and worried-looking Jay in the passenger seat. Theresa's hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly, and she looked angry._

The vision faded, and Persephone writhed in rage, turning dark blue as thunder boomed overhead. She knew what had happened, and chided herself for not realizing that that was what her pupil would have done.

She turned to the other gods. "Theresa and Jay, I believe are going to go rescue her father."

"But what about the others?" asked Artemis impatiently.

Persephone shrugged. "I don't know."

"They must have gone after them," said a calm-voiced Hera, but the gods all knew by that glitter in her eyes that she was furious. She turned to her fellow gods and goddesses. "We must let them go," she said, to the surprise of the others.

"What?" bellowed Ares. "They went against your _strict _orders!"

Hera nodded. "But maybe it was supposed to be this way. This might be the day they defeat Cronus for good. I can try and protect them, but at the same time, I can't fight their destiny. They must fulfill the prophecy, and this might be the time for it. Even if it means they may die." She looked the others in the eyes, but they ducked their heads down, averting their gaze. They hated the fact that they had become attached to their protégées, something that they had done many times before, for a price.

Cronus smiled as he lounged in the throne of an ancient castle, its walls looming far above his head. He couldn't wait to rule the world once more, but this time from a much bigger throne. He ran his hand over his smooth, baby-like chin. He had tried shaving, and it had worked like a breeze. He now had a more youthful look, a hard thing to achieve when you're over centuries old. He had listened to Hera's conversation with Theresa in mortification. He didn't want to marry that girl, even if she were the most beautiful girl on earth. No, he wanted someone more perfect. He wanted someone who would start a war and keep him entertained… someone like… Helen of Troy. He sat back, satisfied. Yes, he would bring her back like he had the Nemean lion, from the time when heroes reigned, and monsters roamed the earth. And chaos would happen once more, and he'd be in the middle of it. _Ahh, glorious chaos_, he thought. He lived off that stuff.

**A/n: I hope you liked this chapter. If I keep adding twists like this, it may turn out to be a longer story than I thought. Oh well, its fun to write, and I hope you like it. Please review! –Becky **

**P.S. Guys, I hate to get pushy, or rude, but I was checking my stats, and this story has gotten over 800 hits, and I've gotten only 15 reviews. That's pretty sad. I want to hear what you think!!!!! I don't care if you don't like it, tell me so! This is one of those times when saying what's on your mind is allowed! I'm sorry if I seem rude, but I work hard to think up my stories, and the least you could do as a reader is simply review. Thank you.**

** And once again, I apologize if I seem to be rude, but it's frustrating. Thank you for your understanding. -Becky**


	13. Helen of Troy

Chapter 13: Helen of Troy

A young woman was sitting at a mirror, rose petals scattered around her feet, and a silken tunic covering her tiny curves and delicate ankles. She ran a brush through her long golden waves, her big gray eyes intense, but soft and feminine. She looked like a forest nymph, and as she applied eye makeup, she dropped her applier in surprise.

"Oh my!" she gasped. She whirled around on her stool to face a grey-skinned man with a clean-shaven chin and amber eyes.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice soft and melodious.

The man smiled. "Cronus, god of time, and I'm humbly asking you to come and be my bride."

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Why should I? I lo-" She paused, suddenly realizing that she might get herself in trouble.

The god's eyes glittered evilly. "If you come with me, you can rule the entire world one day."

She laughed. "Why would I want to do that?" she asked, as if it were the dumbest thing in the world. Cronus shuddered. She reminded him of Aphrodite, so silly, just like a young girl.

"Helen, you could do whatever you like," Cronus explained, a tiny bit annoyed at the girl's stupidity.

"What if I don't want to rule the world?" she said.

"Why, you'd rather run off with Paris, and risk the life of the one you love?"

Her eyes widened in fear. "How did you know?" she asked, horrified. "My husband would kill me if he knew."

"I know, dear. That's why I'm offering you a way out. You see, I know the future. If you don't come with me, Paris will die, and your husband will get you forever."

Helen's eyes filled with tears. "I don't want Paris to die, but I don't want to marry you, either!" She began to sob.

"Well, I gave you a way out, dear. I guess you'll have to live with the knowledge that you will lose the one you love." Cronus opened his portal, stepping through it as it appeared.

In a split second of decision-making, Helen hurried through after him, tumbling into the era of modern heroes.

Theresa felt her eyelids fluttering, and she yawned. Then Jay was shaking her arm, reminding her that she was the one driving.

She pulled over, too tired to drive anymore. She handed Jay the keys and tumbled into the back seat, falling asleep as she left a gaping Jay with the keys and the ignition.

"Are you crazy? I don't have my driver's license yet," he sputtered.

"Bite me," she mumbled sleepily. "Put the keys in the stupid ignition and get the heck going, worrywart."

Jay gripped the steering wheel tightly in both hands and started the engine. He slammed on the gas, sending the car careening onto the road. It hit a bump and Theresa went flying into the air, waking up and screaming.

"Slow down!" she yelled. Jay slammed on the brakes, pitching Theresa forward, smashing against the back of his seat. She groaned in pain, punching the back of the seat in anger.

"Hey," Jay complained. "No need to take it out on the car seat. You should have been wearing a seat belt."

"Shut up," she muttered darkly. "Now get into the passenger seat and I'll drive. We have to get to the airport in time for the first flight to England." She stumbled out of the convertible, changing seats with Jay as she muttered curses to herself. Gripping the steering wheel so hard her knuckles turned a pale white, she floored the gas pedal, sending Jay flying forward. As they sped away, he fumbled with his seat belt, clicking it in and sitting back in relief. They wouldn't get killed by his driving, at least.

"Okay, Herry, you know what to do?" Odie asked the brawny guy, who nodded. Odie had just finished explaining the plan, and Herry flexed his sinuous arm, proud of his strength. That's what Odie was planning on to get the others out.

Herry turned and strode towards the two officers. "Let me in, please," he said politely. The officers refused. Herry sighed and firmly, but gently pushed them aside. The cops were surprised at his immense strength, and struggled to get their guns, but Herry quickly knocked them out, apologizing profusely at the inconvenience. Then he ran into the station, past baffled officers, and towards the jail cells. They weren't difficult to find, and he quickly found the one with Atlanta and the others inside of it.

Atlanta crowed. "Yahoo! We're outta here!" she yelled gleefully as Herry made the space between two of the metal bars bigger. She squeezed through, speeding away through the station. Two officers made a move to grab her, but she dodged, running to wait for the others outside. She noticed two officers slumped together on the ground. Herry's handiwork, she decided. She started in surprise as something grabbed her arm. She turned to see a guy in uniform staring at her with cold blue eyes. She groaned and kicked him in the shins. Scowling and groaning in pain, he let her go. Herry, Neil and Archie raced out of the police station, joining Atlanta as she sprinted away.

She looked around frantically, searching for a getaway car. Sirens wailed as she glanced over her shoulder and saw a cop car speeding after them.

"Guys!" she shouted. "Into the forest!" A bush had come into view, and Atlanta dove into the safety of the brambles and branches, wincing as they scratched her, drawing the same blood that had attracted the senses of Lycon the werewolf almost a year before.

She heard the crackle and crunch of branches and leaves as the others followed her. She heard Neil complaining and whimpering and Archie telling him to be quiet, before she tripped over a branch and went sailing over a bank into the river.

Helen trembled as she looked around the castle. The dark grey stone reflected the evil she sensed in the god's eyes. Suddenly the huge oak doors at the end of the throne room burst open, revealing a huge dark green giant carrying an unconscious man in his arms. She screamed in horror, sinking down to the ground in a faint. Cronus rolled his eyes. Girls always did that when they saw Agnon, except for Theresa and Atlanta. They usually just groaned and made sarcastic comments. He couldn't wait until they were destroyed.

Agnon advanced towards Cronus, depositing the pale faced man at Cronus' feet. Cronus smiled. Theresa's father was the perfect bait, and he knew that she was on her way to save him right now.

The harpies, hags with wings, as Odie liked to call them, watched as Theresa and Jay drove along the road, driving dangerously close to the guard rail that separated them from the sea. They licked their lips hungrily. Cronus had been stingy on their feed. They took off into the sky, flapping their bat-like wings lazily as they waited for the best time to attack…

**A/n: Please review. I hope you liked it. I enabled anonymous reviews, so everyone should be able to review now. -Becky **


	14. Hags with Wings

Chapter 14: Hags with Wings

Theresa tried to keep her eyes open as the car went careening around the road. A fowl stench filled the air, and suddenly a vision clouded her mind. _Wings flapping, dark shadows overhead, a horrified Theresa and Jay dangling over a cliff, laughing harpies flying around them…_ Theresa gasped and twisted around, trying to find the danger she sensed so deeply.

"Theresa, watch out!" Jay yelled. Theresa twisted around to see the guardrail looming in their path. She yanked the steering wheel to the right, but it was too late. She lost control, sending the convertible blasting through the guardrail and over the edge of the cliff, spiralling towards the turquoise ocean.

"Bail!" she screamed, unbuckling her seat belt and jumping from the car. She reached for any branches that were sticking out of the rocky cliffs, but her hands slid uselessly over the rocks, cutting her delicate fingers.

"Jay!"

Then a firm hand gripped her arm, and she looked up to see Jay holding onto the broken guardrail with one hand and her arm on the other. He was sweating like crazy, and Theresa knew her own skin was a lot more slippery than normal. She scrunched her nose in distaste; she hated getting slimy.

She looked down to see the sea waves crashing against the rocks, sending sea spray everywhere. She expected to hear gulls laughing at their predicament, but was anxious to hear a sickening silence.

"Jay… do you sense anything… evil?"

He gritted his teeth. "No, but I'm kinda busy trying to save our lives right now, so can you call back later?" he asked sarcastically.

Theresa glared at him. "But I think…"

Suddenly raucous laughter interrupted her, and a look of absolute horror crossed Jay's face, while Theresa's spine felt a chill of fear creep up and down its vertebrae. "Oh, no," she whispered. "Harpies!"

Atlanta spluttered and coughed as the raging current carried her downstream. She tried to swim against the current, but she was nearly dragged under. "Help!" she screamed, but her friends were out of sight. Suddenly there was a splash, and she turned to see Archie swimming towards her, a rope of twine tied around his stomach. He had used his speed to keep up with her, and now he was coming to save her!

As he continued towards her, fighting against the current, she fought just as hard to keep her head above water. She could hear Odie and Herry yelling at Archie to swim faster, and him telling them to try swimming against the current themselves. She could also make out Neil worrying about how her hair would look if she survived. He was about an arm's length away when Atlanta was suddenly dragged underneath the water. Water gushed down her throat into her lungs, threatening to drown her. She struggled to get to the surface, her arms flailing and her legs kicking, when she felt Archie's arms around her waist, bringing her back up to the surface.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, coughing out spurts of water. As Herry, Neil and Odie started to pull them back in; she hung onto his neck for dear life, praying to any god that could hear that she wouldn't die.

"You know how to swim?" she asked, a bit astonished at his bravery. Archie's trademark was his fear of water, yet he had easily swum to her. Only one other time had he done that, and again, it had been for her.

He grinned sheepishly. "I took swimming lessons. I wanted to surprise you."

Atlanta smiled at him. "That was really sweet, Arch. Totally." She leaned towards him, smiling sweetly. She didn't really know what she was doing, but she felt a sudden feeling of attraction towards Archie. He looked a bit flustered, and he felt his cheeks burning, but right now, he felt like the luckiest guy in the world.

Neil, Herry, and Odie watched from the riverbank. "Oh, great," Neil muttered. "While we're trying to save their butts, they're probably going to start making out in the middle of the river!"

Atlanta heard Neil's remark. Insulted, she twisted around, letting go of Archie's neck to shout insults at Neil. That was when she noticed that the twine that was steadily pulling them towards safety was ripped halfway through.

"Oh no! The twine!" she cried. "It won't hold both of us!" She searched frantically for something to hold onto that wouldn't break under their weight, when the twine suddenly snapped.

"Help!" she and Archie screamed as the current snatched them, washing them away as Herry, Neil, and Odie watched in horror.

Meanwhile, Theresa and Jay dangled precariously over the cliff, harpies swooping to laugh in their faces and scratch them with their claws.

Theresa winced as one of them scratched her along the length of her arm, leaving a jagged gash as it wheeled away, cackling.

"We're hungry! Hungry, hungry, hungry!" they cried in unison.

Theresa moaned, and then gasped as she slid out of Jay's grip.

"No!" he yelled, grabbing her hand in a last desperate attempt to save her life. She gripped his hand so hard she heard bones crack, and she could tell from the look on his face that he thought this was the end.

"Jay," she whispered. "Do you have your sword?" He looked confused, but nodded.

"I always keep an extra one with me. You can't trust Cronus."

Every other time, Theresa would have joshed Jay for being a worrier, but she was grateful now for his thoughtfulness.

"I'm going to let go," she said. "But don't try to grab me. If you do, we'll both die. Just get your sword out!"

Before he could reply, she let go of his hand, and as she plummeted towards the sea, she grasped Jay's foot, and then climbed his leg, wrapping her arms around it to keep from falling. Jay grunted from the extra weight, but as she had instructed, drew his sword, swinging at any harpy that dared to come near. They hissed in fury, but they kept their distance, waiting for Jay to let down his guard.

Then they noticed Theresa hanging from his leg, trying desperately to hold on. They dove for her, some falling towards the sea as Jay cut them down, but he couldn't fight so many at once. They reached for Theresa, their cracked and ugly faces smiling, showing bloody teeth.

Theresa gulped, wondering what, or _who_, had been their last meal. As one lunged for her, she kicked at it, sending it falling backwards. But it grabbed her foot, dragging her down with it. She screamed as she felt her grip sliding over Jay's jeans effortlessly.

Then she was plunging towards the water, the air sucking into her lungs and taking away her breath. She struggled to breathe, to make one last endeavour to save herself.

"JAYYY!!!!" was all she could scream as she fell towards the ocean, the waves waiting to swallow her below, smashing her to death against the rocks.

**A/n: Here's the fourteenth chapter. I hope you like it! Please review! **


	15. Life or Death

Chapter 15: Life or Death

Storm clouds gathered overhead, thunder rumbling as waves crashed against rocky cliffs, sending a salt spray over everything. White capped waves hid monsters that lurked beneath, waiting for their pray. The harpies swooped above, taunting Jay with their cruel cries.

Jay tried not to let go as he watched Theresa falling further and further away, towards her death. He couldn't do anything to help her. All he could do was watch, and wish that he was falling along with her. But then, as if out of nowhere, he heard a tiny whisper of a female voice. Concentrating, he realized it was Theresa, inside his brain.

_Keep going_, it said. _Don't give up on the others, or on me. I'll be fine._ Of course, that wouldn't have convinced him if a harpy wasn't coming in for the kill, her bloody eyes murderous, and drool escaping from her lips.

"It's been a long time since I've feasted," she said in her raspy voice.

Jay nearly gagged from the stench of her rotten breath. "You really need a new dentist," he remarked. "To bad you're dying today." With that said, he cut her down, sending her plummeting towards the sea, her wings enfolding her like a cocoon.

There were only three harpies left, young ones, Jay could tell, because they looked reluctant to fight him. Jay suddenly felt his hand slipping, and realized that he had to get back on land. He quickly began to rock himself back and forth, gaining momentum to jump. As the harpies all dove for him at once, he leapt, nearly missing the cliff. He grabbed on with one hand, gritting his teeth as the gravel cut into his fingers. He tiredly climbed the rest of the way, coming to rest on the top of the cliff, breathing heavily. He glanced up to see three hungry harpies staring down at him in hunger. He lunged at them, clipping one, and sending the other two scattering. He thought of them feasting on innocent children's flesh, and quickly killed the injured one.

The other two didn't want to take their chances with his boy, but their starvation pushed them to the limits. They both dove at once, from different sides of Jay. He knew how to do this. He waited until they were close enough to hit, and then he twirled around in a circle, his sword out, slicing both of the harpies in one move. When it was finished, the harpies lay dead at his feet.

Jay knelt down on the ground amid the death, exhausted and worried. That was when he began to pray, to any and every god that would listen: "Help Theresa. Help Atlanta. Help Herry. Help Archie. Help Odie. Help Neil. Oh… help me!"

He rose to his feet and staggered along the road, towards the direction they had been driving before everything went out of control, like a twister rampaging through countryside, leaving nothing but shattered hopes behind.

Theresa plummeted through the air, her long fiery hair blinding her, and she swiped it away, watching in awe as harpies plunged towards the sea, landing in the water, and never resurfacing. She took a deep breath, nearly choking from the air pressure, and curled into a little ball.

_Cannonball_, she thought sardonically as she plunged into the waves. She opened her eyes, nearly gasping as the salt water stung in her open wounds. Her eyes widened as she saw the dark shadows of sharks swim slowly by, their serrated white teeth stained with blood. One started towards her, moving slowly from side to side as it moved gracefully through the water. It seemed to be grinning at her, as if it knew something she didn't. She hurriedly began to propel herself towards the surface, gasping for breath as she broke through the waves. She had narrowly missed landing on the rocks, but she found herself facing another problem as the waves tried to force her towards the rocks, threatening to shatter every bone in her slender body. She turned and began to doze through the water desperately, but she was too weak. She shuddered as rough, firm skin skimmed her leg, and the telltale sign of a shark appeared as a large dorsal fin emerged through the waves, coming towards her slowly, as if the shark wanted to give her time to fear it before coming in for the kill.

Theresa gulped, treading water while thinking rapidly. _Wait a minute._ The shark was getting closer. She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate._ I'm a descendant of Theseus, a son of Poseidon, right?_ She peeked through her eyelids and bit her lip: the shark was still coming._ So that would make the god of the sea, like, my great, great, great, whatever grandfather! So if I ask him for help… he might lend a hand…_ She grinned. But it slowly faded. How do you address a god of the sea?

"Umm, Mr. Poseidon?" she asked tentatively. But she forgot all her worries as sharp teeth brushed across her skin. "HELP!" she screamed.

Suddenly it was as though the shark had vanished. The dorsal fin had disappeared out of midair, and no teeth tried to rip her to shreds.

But her panic returned as another dorsal fin appeared, approaching quicker than before. She groaned as she thought of never even being able to write her last will and testament.

But she started in surprise as a cute dolphin head broke through the waves, nudging her playfully. She smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Poseidon!" she shouted as the dolphin gave her a kiss on the cheek. It then turned, pressing its slippery body against her side. Theresa took the hint, wrapping her aching arms around the dolphin's fin, and resting her head against its flank as it slowly began to drag her through the water. She let her eyes close, and soon Theresa was asleep.

She awoke to the dolphin prodding her with its nose, signalling the end of her ride. She noticed that she was near a beach, in a tiny cove with shallow water and lots of weeds. She realized that if the dolphin came any further, it could get beached.

"Thanks buddy," she whispered, rubbing its nose lovingly. She then began to swim towards the shallower part of the inlet, where she'd be able to easily walk towards the beach.

As she felt weeds beneath her tired feet, she arose, quickly trudging through the water towards the beach, where she collapsed.

Jay stuck out his thumb in a hitchhiker's pose, hoping that a car would come by. Ironically, a blue convertible came up behind him, slowing down and stopping. At the wheel was a blue-eyed blonde, and her passenger was a punk redhead. The driver smiled sweetly at Jay.

"What's a guy like you doing out in the middle of nowhere?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Give the guy a break, Melina, it looks like he was through a punch-out," lectured her friend.

"But he's so cute! Can I give you a ride?" she asked, giggling.

"Umm, sure," Jay said awkwardly. He clambered into the back.

"Where to, boy?"

"I'll tell you when we get there. Just keep driving," Jay said, not quite sure where he was going.

As the convertible drove along the coastal road, Jay leaned back and closed his eyes, but the blonde wasn't going to give him any peace.

"So, what's your name? How old are you? Do you have a girlfriend?" she chirped.

Jay sighed inwardly. "I'm Jay, I'm eighteen, and I don't have a girlfriend," he said, but as he said it, he immediately thought of Theresa.

"Eeee!!" Melina squealed.

Jay tried to plug his ears, but she was so loud he heard her anyway. As they drove along, he tried to ignore her chatter, and when they passed a beach, he blinked in amazement. There, lying on the beach, half emerged in the sea, was Theresa!

"Drop me off here," he ordered. The blonde glanced at him in the rear-view mirror, startled.

"What? So soon?"

Jay grinned in relief. "Yeah, and thanks for the ride," he said, slamming the door behind him. He ran towards Theresa, kneeling beside her where she lay, unconscious on the beach, sand scattered through her hair, which was sprawled around her like a cape.

Atlanta held onto Archie as tightly as she could as they went crashing through the river, screaming at the top of their lungs. Archie's arms were gripped around her waist, holding on for dear life.

The river began to grow wider, and Atlanta gasped as she realized where they were heading: for a waterfall.

"Oh my gosh! Archie, what are we going to do?" she yelled as Archie swallowed, his eyes wide in horror.

"I don't know, kiss before we die?" he joked, but he was trembling.

She elbowed him indignantly. "It's not funny, Arch," she snapped. "Seriously, what are we going to do?"

Her words were lost as they went sailing over the edge, holding onto each other closely. "Ahhhh!" they screamed.

"Good-bye, Arch!" Atlanta yelled.

"Good-bye, Atlanta!" he whispered. Then they both began to shriek as they went plummeting through the air.


	16. Totally Archie and Atlanta

Chapter 16: Totally Archie and Atlanta

The first thing Archie thought of before he went sailing over the edge of the waterfall was, "Crud, I'm going to die now, and thanks to Neil, Atlanta never kissed me." The second thought was "WHAT? I'm going to DIE?"

The first thing Atlanta thought was "Why is Archie looking at me like that?" The second thought was "I'm glad I didn't kiss Archie, 'cause his lips are probably all slimy and gross." Her third thought was "Oh, who am I kidding? I know I wanted to!" Then, when it finally registered that they were going to _die_, "AHHHH!"

These were the thoughts of two of our favourite heroes as they went sailing through the air towards certain death below.

But it didn't end that way. Instead, they landed in the water, making a huge splash, frightening away all the salmon and trout, and began to swim for shore. Coughing and spluttering, they crawled up the river bank, wet and shivering. Atlanta wiped her bangs from her face and coughed water onto Archie's already wet sweatshirt. She glanced around, sniffing the air like a hound. Frowning, she stood up, walking a few feet away from Archie to investigate their surroundings.

"Hey, where are you going?" Archie protested, staggering to his feet.

"To get away from the stench," Atlanta said dryly. As she walked away, Archie followed, sniffing himself. "I don't stink, do I?" he asked himself.

Atlanta rolled her eyes. "Come on. Let's try and find the others."

Her sopping wet shoes were heavy and cold, so she stopped, sitting down to take them off and carry them instead. Suddenly she froze, and began to scream as vines erupted from the ground, wrapping themselves around her and hoisting her into the treetops.

"Oh great," muttered Archie as the vines snaked around his legs. "Here we go again."

As the two teens struggled viciously against the vines, a tall, hairy figure emerged from the trees. He was bare-chested, and had the bottom half of a goat, and two horns sticking out from his forehead.

"PAN?"

**A/n: Sorry to leave you such a short chapter, but I want to create some suspense, especially for you A/A shippers… guess what happens next!**

**Luv, Becky**


	17. Alive

Chapter 17: Alive

"Theresa, wake up!" Jay whispered, shaking her. She groaned, struggling to sit up. Weak and trembling, she sighed and laid her head across Jay's lap, looking up into his big brown eyes, which were wide with concern.

"I'm too tired," she murmured. She closed her eyes, and soon she was asleep. Jay almost decided to wake her, but as he studied her face, he realized how peaceful she looked. Her head in his lap, and her body across the sand, she reminded him of an angel. All she needed was a halo and wings, and a clean garment.

He stroked her hair tenderly, and shifted subtly to lean against a nearby tree. She moaned in her sleep, and then settled down once more.

Jay leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers in a tiny kiss. Then he leaned back and fell asleep, completely having forgotten about their mission.

"Pan? Not him again," Archie complained. "I told you he liked you."

"Shut up, Archie. Hey Pan, what are you doing here?"

"Can't I come and visit an old friend?"

"I'm kinda busy right now," Atlanta snapped irritably. "Archie and I need to save our friends."

Pan suddenly looked very concerned. "Cronus is making trouble again?"

"Since when is he not making trouble?" Archie pointed out.

"You have a point. Just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do what I can to help."

"Well, letting us down will do for starters," Atlanta replied. Pan grinned and snapped his fingers, and the vines let Atlanta free from their grasp. Pan reached out his arms to catch her, but Atlanta twisted in the air like a cat, landing on her feet before him.

Heaving a sigh, Pan snapped his fingers again, freeing Archie, who tumbled awkwardly to the ground, just happening to land on top of Atlanta, who feel to the ground with a grunt, glaring over at her friend.

"Nice going!" she hissed. Now she was wet _and_ dirty.

She grasped Pan's offered hand gratefully, and left Archie to get up by himself. Offended, Archie got up and tried to dust himself off, only to have leaves stick to him like glue. While Atlanta explained their problem to Pan, Archie continued to fiddle around with the dirt and sticks that were stuck to him.

"So first we need to find Herry, Odie, and Neil," Atlanta finished.

Pan nodded. "I know how to do that." He let loose a wild howl that sent shivers running up and down Atlanta and Archie's spines.

Meanwhile, Neil, Odie, and Herry were wandering through the forest, tripping over up planted roots and complaining about hunger and tiredness.

"You know, if we'd just let them go do whatever they were going to do by themselves, we wouldn't be in this mess," Neil pointed out. "

"Yeah, but they can't do it alone," Odie argued. "Right Herry? …Herry?" He whirled around, searching for his friend. "Herry?"

Then he laughed as he noticed Herry asleep under a tree, his huge hands laid across his chest, and his mouth wide open as he snored. Odie yawned, tired himself. He stumbled over to Herry and tried to wake him up, only to succumb to sleep.

"Oh come on," Neil complained. "Now I have to save the day!" But even Neil couldn't go for more than two steps without collapsing onto the ground, his mouth full of leaves.

Meanwhile, Helen was pacing back and forth across the castle floor, her bare feet cold and bruised. Theresa's father was gagged and tied nearby, his pale face tired and haggard.

Helen clasped her hands, worried and sick. Her morning sickness was more constant now, and the fact that she was pregnant and had disappeared would leave her husband the wrong impression.

Suddenly Cronus appeared, wrapping his arm around Helen's shoulder with a smile.

"Why don't you come with me, dear?" he said, propelling her towards the door. "Let's go and make some havoc."

Helen's shoulders shook with sobs, but she timidly allowed herself to be lead away, her hopes shattered.

Meanwhile, Theresa's father was left bewildered and under Agnon's guard, wondering what he was doing there.

And meanwhile, in other parts of the world, teenagers slept and planned, their primary focus right then to survive through the day.

**A/n: Sorry for the really short chapter. I've been busy, and way too lazy to write. Please review! Luv, Becky**


	18. Seahorses and Bad Memories

Chapter 18: Seahorses and Bad Memories

Trees rattled as Herry, Neil, and Odie's snores echoed throughout the forest, joining in harmony to resound off every rock, cliff, tree, and leaf in the woods. Vines snaked out of the ground and gently wrapped themselves around the boys, and then launching into the air, living and wild. They transported the slumbering trio to where Pan, Archie, and Atlanta stood, depositing them on the ground at their feet.

"Wake up, guys!" Atlanta hissed, kneeling to shake Herry awake, while Archie nudged Odie and Neil to open their eyes, much to their consternation.

"Whadaya want?" Neil groaned sleepily. "I don't give autographs past nine." Atlanta rolled her eyes and kicked him in the butt, smiling in satisfaction as his girlish shriek resounded throughout the forest.

"That's better." She turned to Pan. "Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but we need to find our friends before Cronus does… would you help us?" Pan stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"I can give you transportation out of the forest, but beyond that, I can't help at all. I'm sorry. I wish you could stay longer, Atlanta." He advanced towards her, eyes soft. She grinned uncomfortably at took his hand and shook it.

"Nice seeing you too," she said cheerfully. "Now we really got to go." She didn't allow herself to look into his eyes, reminding her brain that she liked someone else.

The forest god sighed and bellowed out his haunting call. Vines snaked around the heroes' waists and lifted them into the air, sliding along the forest floor and around the trees as they headed for the light that announced civilization once more.

Atlanta turned and waved to Pan until he was out of sight, and then settled herself to wait.

Jay woke up with a start when he felt Theresa shifting around on his lap. He glanced down to see her rubbing her eyes tiredly and sitting up. "What… where…" she mumbled. Her memory returned as her eyes opened wide.

"Father!" She scrambled to her feet, ready and willing to fight. "We have to leave now!"

Jay got up, dusting off his pants. "What, are we going to walk to the airport?"

Theresa smiled. "I think I have an idea." She walked to the seashore, yanking off her loafers and stepping into the calm, aquamarine water. It swirled around her ankles as she lifted her hands to the heavens. The sky turned dark and the wind whipped her hair around her head. Jay ducked as a branch, driven by the wind, rushed over his light brown haired head, barely missing him.

"What…" His voice trailed off as he watched her, so full of awe he was breathless.

"Poseidon, King of the Ocean!" she screamed over the howling of the wind. "Send us your allies to see us to our destination!" The waves began to roll, and she staggered as the water threatened to suck her into its depths. "Please!" she added. The waves tumbled and swayed as she was suddenly pulled in by the water's power. Jay rushed to pull her out, nearly loosing his footing as well. Then the sea calmed, and out of the water two giant seahorses arose.

He gaped, jaw dropping. Theresa smiled and tapped it shut playfully. "Coming?" she asked, and splashed through the ocean towards the first one, whose scales shone a glimmering pink. She climbed abroad onto its sloping back, and Jay, still speechless, scrambled onto the second one.

"Giddyap!" she shrieked, grasping her seahorse's reins in one hand and pretending to throw an invisible lasso. The seahorse began to plough through the waves, and she looked back to see Jay fall off his steed. He floundered about in the sea, spitting out salt water and coughing.

"Couldn't you have asked for a sail boat?" he called. Theresa turned her seahorse around and pulled up beside him, stretching out her hand to help him clamber up behind her. "You can ride with me," she decided. "Just so that you DON'T fall off." He grinned sheepishly. The second horse disappeared beneath the waves as they started off again.

"How are we going to pay for the plane?" Jay asked. "Didn't we wreck your car, with your purse?"

Theresa grinned and patted the front pocket of her jeans. "I always keep my wallet in my pocket. You can't always trust to never loose your purse!" She shouted over the rush of the ocean as its spray kissed their cheeks.

Jay nodded and gripped her waist tightly. He didn't mind sailing, but anything that had to do with horseback riding gave him jitters. He couldn't help but remember back to when he had been twelve years old, and took riding lessons to impress the girl he had liked…

"**Now canter!" the riding instructor called. Jay grasped the reins tightly, his chin set determinedly. Now, how did you do that again? Oh yes, you squeezed the horse's side tighter with your legs. He did so, letting his eyes wander to see if Amanda was watching. Amanda, with her big blue eyes and curly blonde hair. He found her… and nearly fell out of the saddle in horror. She was kissing one of the grooms. They broke apart, smiling at one another, and suddenly all the joy that had been welled up in Jay's heart disintegrated. **

"**Look where you're going!" the teacher cried sharply, and he whirled his head around to see that they were headed straight towards the fence. He gasped and yanked his reins inwards, bringing the horse to an irrupt halt. He went sailing over its head and landed in the dust, back aching. He stared up into Amanda's face.**

"**Jay, look what you did to the poor horse!" she cried, running to the beast and stroking its nose lovingly. It chewed on its bridle, frothing at the mouth.**

"**It's rabid!" Jay exclaimed, running towards her and pushing her out of the way as the creature whinnied and reared.**

"**NO!" she yelled. "Look what you've done!" She grabbed the horse's reins and calmed him with smooth talk, and then she turned to Jay, her blue eyes flashing angrily. "You little idiot!" she snapped. "You could have killed someone! NEVER rush a horse." She turned and stalked away, leading the horse along behind her.**

**That was the day Jay quit riding lessons, and vowed to never quit anything again because of a girl.**

"Jay, are you okay?" He was brought back to the present by Theresa's lilting voice.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah," he said absently.

"Fine then, be anti-social," she joked. "Just thought I'd let you know that we're almost there."

**A/n: Yay! I've finally updated! Lol. Please review… I have a lot planned for this story, so I probably won't update any of my other ones until I've finished this one. I even have a sequel planned… that is, if you guys review! Luv, Becky**

**P.S. Over a 1000 hits on this story! Sweet! Keep reading:)**


	19. Brine, Bonds, Brawls, and Belief

Chapter 19: Brine, Bonds, Brawls, and Belief

Jay gazed up at the broad cliff as their mount drew them steadily nearer. It stretched up far and high, and near its edge he could make out the beginning of buildings. The sun was high in the sky, and Jay couldn't tell how long they had been away from the school. He leaned his head on Theresa's shoulder and inhaled the scent of her hair, which smelled of strawberries mixed with ocean brine. He felt her relax and then she turned to ruffle his hair affectionately.

"Tired already?" she teased, forest green eyes sparkling. He laughed, grinning, and shook his head.

"Nope, just…" He didn't know what to say. _Just wanted to feel close to you?_ He blushed thinking about it. His grip on her waist tautened as she steered them towards the precipice.

"You can relax, Jay," she said reassuringly. "I'm not going to let us get smashed against the rocks. I've had enough of that recently. But we will have to climb the cliff to get up to the airport. Don't ask how," she rushed as Jay opened his mouth to protest. He clamped it shut and held on tight as the seahorse swam towards the cliff, the waves rocking him back and forth. If not for all the years he had been sailing, Jay would have felt very sick by now. He heard Theresa moan and knew she was probably feeling a little green. But relief flooded through him when he thought of sitting back and closing his eyes to relax in the soft leather seats of the plane.

Theresa's father blinked as he tried not to fall asleep. Even though his body was weak, his mind was alert and focused. _What is this about? _He pondered. He glanced around wearily, cautious of the giant that loomed over him just a few feet away.

Thinking back to Theresa's childhood, he remembered the stories her mother used to tell the little girl before bed each night, when Theresa hadn't been tired enough to sleep right away. Stories about monsters and gods and heroes had been stuffed into her head like spinach into her stomach, and she had loved them all. A single tear trickled down his cheek as he thought of Thaliana, his dear wife. She had died far too soon. Anger filled him as he recalled Thaliana's last words to her daughter, a kind of warning: "The gods are closer than you think." _What nonsense,_ he remembered thinking, and he had chided his wife on filling her head with such stuff. She had only glanced at him sorrowfully and shook her head. _What if it's true?_ He realized. What if his darling was in danger?

He began to struggle in his bonds, but a quick glare from the giant calmed him. There was no way of escape by these means. He would have to watch and wait. He would not let this man, or god, or whoever he was, hurt his only child, the daughter he had ignored these last six years. Guilt infested him like a swarm of pesky flies, and he promised to never do such a thing again. Starting with the cancellation of her placement in London for school, he was going to make sure he would never again interfere with what she did in her life unless he had to. She was going to be allowed to make her own decisions, and he would love her no matter what she chose. Because even though he hadn't been a very good one so far, he was still her Daddy, and he was going to prove it.

Helen stumbled along after Cronus, lamenting her foolish decision. Was Paris worth all this fear and torment? What did he have that her husband didn't? Certainly not looks, for even though he had locks of fine spun gold, Menelaus had auburn locks that shone like the sun at dawn. He had the posture of a man, while Paris boasted like a young boy with much to prove. While Paris was a flirt and a manipulator, Menelaus was kind, sturdy, and patient, loving her even when she made mistakes.

_Alas, what a poor wife am I,_ she mourned. She no longer cared about Paris, and whether or not he died, but she longed to be with her husband once more. She stopped walking and tugged herself away from Cronus' grip, turning to flee into the suburban jungle she had been brought to. She ran onto a hard black belt of road, and was nearly run over by a type of wagon. She screamed and halted there, truly terrified. Loud noises pounded in her delicate ears, and she covered them, wishing that she were back in her husband's quiet rooms, filled with the gentle song of his voice.

"AHHH!" she shrieked, and was nearly trampled by hurried shoppers and businessmen scurrying across the road. She was saved by a pair of strong hands which dragged her away from the throng.

"Are you alright?" a mellow voice asked, and she nodded, looking up into the greenest eyes she'd ever seen. Suddenly the hands were yanked away as another pair took her tender fingers into their own hands, calloused from working.

"I saw her first!" he yelled, alarming her. She backed away only to bump into the chest of a tall plump man behind her.

"I found her!" he shouted. Then there arose a din as they all began to fight over her, drawing in other men from the crowd.

Cronus watched from a balcony above the streets as a great punch out began. He smiled. His plan was working to a charm, and if this continued, the whole world would be in chaos, and he would have another Trojan War, except it would be much, much bigger. And the heroes could do nothing to stop him.

When Atlanta, Neil, Archie, Odie, and Herry reached the outskirts of the city, the vines gently set them on the ground, and then slithered into the earth without a sound. Neil got up and hurriedly checked his reflection, shrieking when he noticed the tiniest pimple on the edge of his nose. Atlanta and Archie rolled their eyes at each other and proceeded to discuss their course of action.

"Now what?"

"Well, we know that Theresa left to find her dad, so where would she go?" They paused to muse over the question.

"Uhh, guys, ever heard of an _airport_?" Odie asked sarcastically. He grinned as they blushed sheepishly, nodding.

"Then let's go," Herry said.

"How? We have no car, no truck, no nothing," Neil pointed out.

Atlanta tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We may not need any," she said. The others stared at her, disbelief scrawled on their faces; one pale, one tanned, one a milk chocolate brown, and one a rosy peach.

"What?" Archie asked.

"Well, we could sneak abroad a ferry instead. I heard that there's one that leaves the city for England at six o'clock each day." She checked her watch. "We just might make it."

"But the terminal is all the way across town," Archie complained.

She rolled her eyes. "So? Start walking." She pushed him, and reluctantly he started along the sidewalk, but not without grumbling beneath his breath.

Then he froze. "Wait a minute. A ferry goes across… water, right?" He suddenly started trembling.

Atlanta sighed, exasperated. "I thought you don't mind swimming now Archie. You can't possibly be still afraid of water."

"And why not? Just because we fight Cronus a lot doesn't mean we're not afraid of him, does it?"

She said nothing; she couldn't argue against his logic.

"C'mon, Arch. Take one for the team," Odie pleaded, and Herry nodded his agreement. Archie thought of Theresa and Jay battling against Cronus alone and made his decision.

"Fine. I wouldn't want to miss out on all the fun now, would I?" Atlanta grinned and threw her arms around his neck in a hug.

"You're the best!" she squealed. "Now let's go!"

**A/n: Sorry if this chapter is a bit too boring or anything. The next ones will be better, as it's when they sneak onto the ferry, and Jay and Theresa attempt to climb the cliff… but will they make it? Dundundun…**


	20. Boyfriend?

Chapter 20: Boyfriend???

She tried to remember back to all the games she used to play with her two younger brothers, when they would be pirates and she would be the young girl who sneaked abroad their ship and joined them, eventually making them walk the plank. The memories made Atlanta smile, and she even missed them… just the tiniest bit.

_They would be… fourteen and twelve now,_ she thought. She had nearly forgotten their ages. It had only been two years since the gods had given them this duty, yet it felt more like ten the more dangerous their missions became. Like now, for instance. Atlanta could easily imagine someone dying on this undertaking, and the notion made her skin crawl, and made her realize that she was growing up fast.

"Atlanta!" Archie's muffled voice in her ear joggled her from her memories, and she came back to the task at hand.

The five of them were standing at the docks where the ferries were stationed. They had arrived after much groaning and complaining from Neil that he was tired, and Herry trying to avoid being hostile towards him. Archie didn't bother being as kind, and before the journey was up Neil had become successor to a bloody nose, courtesy Mr. Archie-the-short-tempered-but-still-incredibly-hot-purple-haired-guy. But of course Atlanta didn't dare call him so out loud. Besides, if he heard that, he would think being mean was good, and by NO accounts did she think that. Why do you think she protested against abuse?

"Oh, sorry!" she said, startled.

"So, what now?" Herry asked, yawning.

"Well, we COULD just sneak up on the boat," Atlanta suggested sarcastically. "Anyone have any better ideas?"

The guys glanced at each other and shrugged. "Nope."

"Then let's go. I'll lead the way." She started walking casually down the dock towards where people were filing into the ferry.

"Umm, don't we need to pay?" Neil asked. Archie rolled his eyes.

"I don't think we have any money, and besides, what's one more crime on our records?" He asked this in a sardonic way, and Atlanta elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up."

"Whatever."

The others sighed and hurriedly followed the troublesome duo as they led the way. Gulls jeered in the skies above them, soaring on the ocean breezes. Meanwhile, Archie shivered at the thought of a large expanse of water. He didn't mind a stream, especially if a particular redhead was in need of his help in the stream, but an ocean… it made him queasy thinking about it.

"Ughh," he groaned, rubbing his stomach in an attempt to calm it.

"What, scared of the ocean?" He glanced up, but it wasn't Atlanta who had said it. She and the other guys were way ahead of him.

"Over here," the voice said, and he realized that it was in no way similar to Lannie's voice. It was calmer and more soothing, reminding him of his mother. He shuddered. If it was a really cute girl, that would be wrong.

He looked over to see a gorgeous brunette smiling at him, big blue eyes sympathetic. Her hair was cut in layers to frame her heart-shaped face, and her teeth were pearly white. She extended a slender hand to shake his. As he clamped her hand, he suddenly felt clammy and sweaty. He gulped, and two little spots of pink glowed on his pale cheeks.

"I'm afraid of water too," she said. "The name's Heidi. What's yours?"

"Arc…Arc… Archie," he stammered. She giggled. "Nice."

He smiled back, until he felt a sudden pain in his ear. He yelped and turned to see Atlanta looking VERY annoyed.

"C'mon, Arch," she growled. He waved her away and struggled out of her grip, smiling bashfully at the girl.

"You going to England too?" he asked, feeling a sudden urge for her to say yes.

"Archie!" Atlanta cried in exasperation. What was he doing? Was he _crushing _on her? … She didn't let herself think about it.

"Actually, I am," Heidi replied. "But I don't have anyone to go with." She sighed sadly, and then stared at Archie pleadingly. "Could I maybe… go with you guys?"

Archie beamed dreamily, while Atlanta crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Sure," he said.

"Really? That's great! Shall we go?"

"I just have to talk to my… boyfriend first," Atlanta said. Archie and Heidi both looked surprised, and Atlanta grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

"Whoa, what are you DOING?" Archie protested. She forced him towards a corner of the docks where they could talk privately, and then she slapped him in the face.

"Ouch."

"Yeah, she can come along and ask questions when we don't pay the fare," Atlanta hissed. "Just tell her that she can't come. And stop being all moony over her!"

"Are you jealous?"

Atlanta gripped her head, trying not to scream in frustration. Then she gripped his shoulders and leaned towards him. She was just about to plant a kiss on his lips. His head was whirling, and he didn't know whether to be elated or confused or sad.

But he was saved by Heidi's scream. He bolted from her hold, leaving her to stumble and fall on the dock, an astonished look on her face.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly as he came to where she was standing, a terrified look in her face.

"Just saw a spider. I'm terrified of bugs," she replied sheepishly. "But I'm okay now that you're here." She winked at him and let a smug smile escape across her lips as she noticed a pouting Atlanta struggling to her feet and joining her other friends.

"What's up with Archie?" Odie asked anxiously. Atlanta didn't answer; she simply stared heatedly across the docks, where that girl Heidi was standing close to Archie, her hand in his.

Angrily, she turned to stalk up the ramp into the ferry. "C'mon, guys," she sighed. "Mr. Hotshot can escort his lady by himself, and explain to her why he won't pay."

**A/n: Hehee, did you guys think Atlanta and Arch were going to kiss? I love doing this. Just another twist in this twisted story of mine. What do you think of Heidi? Let me know! Should she become Arch's girlfriend, or should… well, I'm open for your opinions! Luv, Becky**


	21. Secrets

Chapter 21: Secrets

Waves crashed against rocky crags, and the sky turned gray overhead, foreshadowing torrents of rain. Theresa frowned and fought to steer the seahorse through the sea towards an area where the cliff sloped, and it would be easier to climb. Her feet trailed in the water, and she was sore all over. The long jagged scratch on her arm was clotting, although a bit of blood still spurted through. She bit her lip and tried not to gag; blood always made her queasy.

"Jay, it's almost time to get off," she said gently, nudging him. He had fallen asleep, his head lying against her shoulder. "Don't you think you've had enough sleep?"

"Hmm, huh?" he asked, startled from his nap. He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

She nodded. "That's fine."

The incline loomed before them, and Theresa patted the head of the seahorse as the two teens descended from its back. She kissed its long snout and started to climb, placing her feet in any foothold she could find and scrambling for something to hold onto. Jay did the same, and soon the two teens were scaling the natural wall with ease. Within minutes they scrambled onto the top of the cliff, gasping and rubbing their sore muscles.

Then Jay noticed the deep wound running along the length of Theresa's forearm, leaving blood trickling down her arm. His brow crinkled in concern and he ran his fingers over it. She winced and tried to push his hand away.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I should be fine," she protested, but she was breathless, and he could tell that the abrasion was causing her a lot of pain. Her eyes were glassy as she tried to hold back tears.

"Just leave it alone," she rasped.

"And let it get infected? No way!" He glanced around for something to wash it out with, but there was no fresh water in sight. He sighed and prayed for the sky to begin pouring down rain. As if it had heard him, a light drizzle began to fall. He could hear her sigh in relief as it washed out any bad bacteria from her gash. Jay then tore off a piece of his ugly yellow sweater to gently tie around her slender arm.

She cringed and squirmed, but she didn't pull away. She bent over, her hair sticky against her face, watching him as he worked. He gulped and tried not to think of how close they were. She glanced up gratefully at him as he finished wrapping her arm, and he smiled in return.

The rain began to fall harder, and suddenly it was blinding, and they groped around for each others' hands so as not to loose one another. Jay caught Theresa's hand right before she went stumbling back over the cliff, and he pulled her towards where he thought the airport might be. But instead they smashed into a tree, bark scratching their faces. They tumbled backwards.

"Down on the ground!" he yelled. They threw themselves down and didn't let each other go.

"What are we going to do?" she screamed. "We can't even see each other!" It was true. He couldn't even catch a glimpse of her telltale orange hair.

"Just start inching along the ground until we can find shelter!" he shouted. "But don't let go of my hand!"

"Okay!"

The two started to crawl along the ground, the soil turning to mud between their fingers, and the rain running down their faces. Theresa blinked rapidly as it mingled with her mascara, causing it to sting her eyes. She squeezed Jay's hand as stones pressed against her stomach, and she hoped that they found a cave or something to crawl into. She ran one of her hands along the ground, trying to use her powers to sense a nearby safe place.

Suddenly her vision cleared as an image crawled across her mind. _A tiny cave sat in a lonely clearing nearby, surrounded by birches and conifers. _She jolted back to reality and turned about, trying to see through the driving rain. When she realized that it was impossible, she tried using her senses to direct her towards it. She was aware of it somewhere to her left, and she pulled herself and Jay in that direction.

"What are you doing?" he yelled, sounding confused.

"I sense… a cave… somewhere," she wheezed. "Over here…"

She crept closer to where she thought it was, and sighed in relief as her thoughts suddenly buzzed. "We're here!" she breathed.

They edged into the cave, wiping their hair from their faces and sighing.

"It's so cold," Theresa said, teeth chattering. She rubbed her hands over her arms, her tank top soaking wet against her back. She swiped her bangs back from her face, her mascara black and running down her cheeks.

Jay lay back against the wall of the cave. "Great job finding this place," he commented.

"It's all in the gift," Theresa said, smiling grimly. She tried to stop shaking, but she was freezing. Jay noticed this and wrapped his arms around her lean frame, and she laid her head against his shoulder, his chin resting atop her head.

"I guess we're not going to make that flight," she groaned despairingly. "How are we going to save Dad?"

"We'll get there eventually," Jay said, trying to lift her spirits. She moaned in frustration, clenching her fists.

"Eventually!" she growled. "I want to go get him NOW."

"I'm so sorry, Theresa. I know how much he means to you."

"Thanks, Jay. You know, I almost forgot what family meant before I met you guys. But now I know that family are those who you can't ever give up on, no matter what. You taught me that Jay most of all. Whenever I gave up on myself, you always encouraged me. Thanks for that."

"No problem." His voice caught in his throat.

"It looks like we're going to be here for awhile… any secrets you've never told anyone that you want to let out?" Her tone was playful, but he heard something else in it… but he couldn't pinpoint what.

"Sure… and you?"

He felt her swallow. "Yeah…" she said lamely.

"Okay, you first then."

She cleared her throat. "Okay, my darkest secret…do you really want to know?"

"Of course I do… unless you don't want to tell me? I wouldn't want…"

"Of course I do! It's got to come out some time." She laughed nervously. "Okay, I'll just blurt it out, and then explain the story behind it."

He began to rock her gently to calm her flighty nerves, and he could feel her relaxing.

Then she shook her head. "I can't do it. Not yet, it's too painful." Her voice was weird, like something had clogged her throat. Then she was weeping into his shirt, shoulders heaving and hands clawing his shoulders for something to hold onto.

"Theresa! Theresa! What's wrong?" He grabbed her face between his hands and forced her to look him in the eyes. She sobbed and tried to turn away, but he was firm.

"What's wrong?" His voice was so gentle and concerned, and she knew he hated to see her cry. She sniffed and tried to speak through her tears.

"I killed my mother."

**A/n: I can hear you're gasps already… WHAT? You're probably thinking that, right? Well review and tell me what you think, and it'll all be explained soon…**


	22. The Girl Behind the Abilities

Chapter 22: The Girl Behind the Abilities

"WHAT?" Jay couldn't help but yelp in surprise. Theresa, the girl who would never hurt a fly, (except if it was working for Cronus somehow) had KILLED her mother. "You're joking right?"

She shook her head.

"How?" he asked softly, running his hands up and down her back.

She sighed and stopped crying, but her chin still trembled, and she swallowed. "I guess it's story time again," she said dryly. "Okay…" she began, her voice quivering, "When I said my mother died in a car accident, I wasn't lying. What I didn't mention was that I was in the car accident as well. We were driving home from shopping, and she had had a difficult day at work. I was chattering like a tiny bird, and she was trying to be patient. Then… I started having a vision. It hurt a lot, and I screamed. Mother was startled, and she tried to calm me. She said something about being closer to the gods. I didn't understand; all I could feel was a pounding in my brain. Mom was trying to shush me, help me, and drive the car. I grabbed her arm, and started to whine. She was distracted from the road, and by the time she looked back up, the car had wandered into the oncoming lane. She couldn't get back into the right one on time. We hit a transport truck, and she was killed instantly. I… I…" Her voice trailed off. "I lived, as you can see, even though I didn't deserve to." She swallowed. "It was my entire fault. If I didn't have this STUPID gift…" She broke down again.

"Theresa! You can't blame yourself! You were six years old, and you couldn't help having your abilities!"

"But Jay, just think! My mom could have been alive today if I wasn't cursed with this!"

"Think of the leverage it's given us over Cronus, Theresa. There was a reason you were given this gift. Don't blame yourself for something that you couldn't stop!"

"Well, you're one to talk! Whenever something bad happens to one of us, you always blame yourself!" she shot back.

"But then you're always there to knock some sense into me," he retorted. Her brow furrowed.

"You have a point," she admitted grudgingly.

"Theresa, I'm so sorry about your mother. I wish…"

"You could change what happened," she finished for him, smiling sadly at his look of surprise. "I can read minds, Jay, don't act so astonished."

He grinned shamefacedly. "Sorry."

Theresa let her gaze wander outside, where the rain was still dousing everything in sight. All she could make out was the grey sheets of water as they pounded against the ground. The horrible weather reflected her depressing mood, and she crawled away from Jay to huddle by herself on the other side of the cave.

He wanted to follow her, embrace her in his arms and comfort her, telling her that everything would be all right, and that she was never at fault for her mother's death. Suddenly he had a question.

"Theresa, did your mom have a psychic ability?" Theresa's head snapped up, and she glanced at him sharply.

"Why?"

"Because maybe that's another thing you have in common with her."

"She never killed anyone because of it though," she pointed out bitterly. "I did."

"Was it you who made the car go into the oncoming lane, Theresa? No, it wasn't. Neither you nor your mother is at fault. It's called an accident for a reason."

"But…"

"What would your mother say if she saw you now?"

Theresa gasped audibly. "How dare…"

"What would she say?" he interrupted. "That you've been wasting your life dwelling on the past; on something that you had no control over? Just because you have a gift doesn't mean that everything bad that happens in this world is your fault. Destiny is…"

"Destiny," Theresa breathed.

He looked at her in surprise. "Huh? How did you…"

She sighed irritably. "There you go again with that forgetting that I can read minds thing, Jay."

"Well, do I have a point?"

She hung her head. "Yes," she said, feeling small and vulnerable. "I guess that I was so grief-stricken that I needed someone to pin it on. I couldn't find anyone else to, so I automatically pinned it on me. I thought that the pain would eventually go away, but a corner of my heart has always been haunted with guilt, although my life has been so busy I haven't had time to let it bother me. But now I feel so light, like letting everything out has lifted the burden of blame. Thanks, Jay." Her voice was warm and full of gratitude, and Jay heard something that he had never heard in it before: joy.

"Anytime, Theresa."

"Now what about your deepest secret?"

"What?"

"You didn't think I was going to let you off the hook, did you?" She asked, her renewal leaving her in happy spirits. Her eyes twinkled, and she scurried closer to him. "Well?" She asked, leaning in so that their noses were nearly touching. She tried to look intimidating, frowning at him and giving him a cold stare.

"Out with it!"

He sighed and held up his hands in surrender. "Fine. I once skipped school to hang out with friends."

Theresa let her jaw drop. "You kid me, right? You, the leader, the responsible, overbearing, worrier of a guy?"

"I'm not joking!"

"Okay, I guess I believe you."

"Thanks." He glanced outside to see that the rain had let up, and the sun was shining through the clouds, letting its rays stream over everything, heating up whatever it touched. The two teens ran out, Theresa twirling around and laughing. She kicked off her shoes and went running into every puddle she saw, cleaning her muddy feet. Jay grinned and did the same, grabbing her from behind and whirling her around, laughing as she shrieked and giggled.

They began to stumble towards where the tall buildings of the airport appeared in the distance, scraping against the blue sky.

"I wonder how the others are doing," Theresa wondered aloud as she and Jay clasped hands and began walking. Her cheeks heated as she noticed what they had done, but she didn't pull away, and he made no move to either.

"Knowing them, they probably tried to follow us," Jay said.

Suddenly Theresa froze as she had a vision. _Atlanta, Herry, Odie, and Neil hurried onto a boat. Archie lingered behind with a pretty young girl. Atlanta looked green with envy, Herry, Odie, and Neil looked confused, and Archie looked like he was in love._ She blinked as Jay came back into focus.

"What is it?"

"Just the others. They're going onto a boat to somewhere. Archie… I'm worried now about him. That girl he was with…"

"What girl?" Jay asked, confused. Theresa shivered and shook her head. "He was with a girl. Oh, I hope they're all right!"

**A/n: So you know Theresa's story now. And you know she doesn't like Heidi either. Is it just her abilities making her paranoid, or is Heidi something more than she seems? What do you think? Please review! Luv, Becky**


	23. The Tomboy and the Trickster

Chapter 23: The Tomboy and the Trickster

**A/n: I'm so sorry to all those who've waited for me to update this story that it took so long. But I didn't want to give you a really crappy chapter when you deserve so much more. Thanks for being patient. Thanks to all who've read this story. There's been nearly 3000 hits on it, and it's on the alerts of 9 people and the favs of 8. Please review, and thanks guys and gals! Luv, Becky**

Atlanta tried not to think of Archie drooling over Heidi, with her cornflower eyes and reddish brown waves. But she couldn't help it. She kept glancing back over her shoulder and saw her with her arm linked with his, leaning into him and plastering a smile on her face. A weird and unusual feeling aroused inside her, and she tried to force it down. But Atlanta was jealous, and she knew it.

Well, Heidi could play guy stealer all she wanted; Atlanta was good at playing games. She marched over to Archie and grabbed his other hand, smiling sweetly.

Neil watched with Herry and Odie from the deck of the ferry. "Now why can't I get girls to fight over me like that?" he complained.

Odie sighed. "Maybe because you're too full of yourself," he pointed out. Neil glanced at him, surprised, then just turned away to hit on a young woman boarding the ship beside them.

"Hey, wanna go for some lemonade after?" Odie snorted in disbelief, and Herry guffawed as Neil ended up rubbing an aching cheek.

"Geez, what's her problem?"

"Whatever's blonde and dumb and blue and narcissistic all over," Odie muttered. Herry grinned and ducked as they ambled through a doorway into their cabin, leaving Archie and Atlanta to catch up. They didn't even bother thinking about Heidi.

Archie felt dazed. There seemed to be a war going on around him, inside and out. He could feel tension radiating between the two girls, and within himself. When he looked to one side of him, there was Heidi, with big blue eyes and a charming smile. On the other side was Atlanta, hazel-eyed and his life-long love. Well, two year long love, at least. But he swore the moment he saw her that she seemed familiar, like from that 'Once-Upon-a-Dream' thing in Sleeping Beauty. He was supposed to still love her, but there was an attractive aura about Heidi, catching his eye and reeling him in like a fishing line.

Heidi's hand was smooth and cool against his, and Atlanta's was firm and calloused, and a little bit sweaty. Gross. He squirmed away from both girls and held up his hands in a surrender motion. "I've, um, got to go to the bathroom."

Atlanta rolled her eyes. "Then go already. I'm not stopping you."

"Hurry back," Heidi purred, winking flirtatiously. Archie nearly choked in surprise. This wasn't the timid young woman he had met half an hour before. The more he got to know her, the more of a vixen she seemed to be. Like… he couldn't pinpoint it, although he had the feeling it was horrible.

He shrugged and turned to hurry away, before he remembered he had no idea where the washroom was.

After an hour of asking around about the washroom, he finally got directed to it. Then he searched the ferry for Atlanta and the others. He found them on the outside deck, sitting at a picnic table slurping colas. Herry belched and leaned back, only to discover that there was no backrest. He fell backwards and landed with a thump on the hard floor of the boat. Odie grinned and Neil guffawed. Atlanta rolled her eyes and extended a hand to help him up, avoiding eye contact with Archie.

"Where's Heidi?"

Silence. Herry and Odie exchanged nervous glances, and Neil continued preening himself in his mirror, not willing to get caught up in the obvious tension at the mention of that name.

Atlanta looked down at the ground, her eyes narrowed, before finally deciding to act maturely. "She went to sign up for the karaoke night on the deck tonight."

"Oh." He sat down to wait, ignoring the slivers in his butt from the cheap wood that had clearly not been sanded in its construction.

"So, how long should it take us to get to England?" asked Herry.

Atlanta's brow puckered in thought. "Well, it might take about five days or so to get to Shanghai, China. From there we'll get on a plane to England."

"Should we learn Chinese?" Neil asked.

"Already got that covered," Odie said, whipping out his PMR. "I've downloaded a Chinese dictionary from the Internet."

"It's too bad we couldn't just use the portal," mourned Atlanta. "It would've been so much quicker."

"Duh. But we would've had to break into the school," Archie pointed out. "The gods would've found out."

Atlanta didn't answer. She was too busy glaring across the crowded deck at Heidi, who had emerged from an office, and was striding towards them.

The redheaded huntress got up to leave as the girl approached them. "Come on, guys, let's go check out the arcade," she urged. I'm sick of fighting over Archie, she thought. He can go and do what he wants, I don't care. But she was troubled to know that she actually did.

Trying to ignore her stubbornly rapidly heart, she stalked away, Herry lumbering after her, Odie and Neil at his heels like puppy dogs.

Archie couldn't help feeling relieved at the prospect of alone time with Heidi. She was wearing red pumps and a light blue sundress that fluttered around her slender legs. Hips swaying confidently, she walked with a swagger that contradicted her timid nature. He frowned. That nagging, horrible feeling in his gut was revived, and he almost felt tempted to run after Atlanta and the others. He shook it away. It's just a girl, he scolded himself. Geez, you'd think you're scared of her.

But as she came and sat beside him, her leg touching his, he felt his cheeks burn, and all his foreboding thoughts melted away…

Apprehension crowded Theresa's mind as they entered the airport, no luggage except for the clothes on their backs and the wallet in Theresa's back pocket. Her hair was still dripping wet, as though she had just come out of the shower, and her cherry red tank top was now stained with muck. Trying to normalize her look, she swept back her fiery flame with a ponytail, but she still felt like a homeless person. Jay didn't look much better, but he looked a bit calmer.

She was worried about customs. Jay's sword wouldn't get past it, but without it they were vulnerable. And she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Suddenly the colour of blood clouded her vision, and she grabbed Jay's arm. _Grunting, horns, hooves, blood- red eyes staring at her hungrily. _She staggered backwards, her eyes darting around in fear.

"NO!" she screamed as a large, bulky form slammed into her, knocking her to the floor. Jay whirled, sword drawn, but was swiped aside by a huge hand. His head hit the ground hard, and black dots swam before his eyes, but he resisted losing consciousness. When he managed to sit back up, the monster was ambling away.

Great, he thought, full of relief.

But then he saw the torrent of red that tumbled across the creature's back, and the arms that dangled limply as he carried away his prize. His heart nearly stopped beating, and his throat constricted in fear. Theresa. That freaking BEAST had the girl that meant the world to him. Without a word, he leapt to his feet, anger coursing through him, and ran after the monster, sword drawn, ignoring the shrieks of innocent bystanders, who ran off, or stood frozen in fear.

He had a job to do, and he wouldn't quite until he had sent that creature to Tarturus for good.

Meanwhile, back at the school, Persephone sat in her solarium, growing her famed roses. Blonde hair slithered down her arched back as she bent over her flowers, frowning as she noticed a withered bud. With a snap of her fingers it grew rosy again, healthy and reaching for the sunlight streaming through the skylight. With a satisfied smile, she stood back to survey her work. However, tears stung her cold blue eyes as she thought of Theresa, who adored the roses. Suddenly a tremor ran through her body, and she gasped. The telepathic connection she had just managed to make with Theresa informed her that her wonderful pupil was in mortal danger, and there was absolutely nothing she could do. Or maybe there was. Frowning in concentration, she called on all the powers of the Underworld to seek Theresa, and go to her aid…


	24. Atlanta Kicks Butt

Chapter 24: Atlanta Kicks Butt

**A/n: So this is the next chapter. It's all on the ferry, no Theresa and Jay until later. Please review and enjoy. Luv, Becky**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Class of the Titans. But I own... hmm... SOCKS! **

"So, Archie, where do you come from?" Heidi asked, leaning against him casually. Her warm breath smelled of bubble gum, and he felt himself flushing.

"What'd you mean?" he asked.

"You can't be serious… like I mean, who're your friends? Where do you live?"

"A brownstone house," he replied vaguely.

"Alone? Don't you have parents?" The questions were getting too personal, and Archie rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"Sure, but it's like a boarding school really. We're in…"

"A special program," a voice cut in, "for…"

"Troubled teens!" boomed another. They whirled around to face Neil, Herry, and Odie, who were grinning sheepishly. "Hey there guys… oh, I mean, guy and gal."

Heidi grinned. "No problem. What's up? It's nearly time for me to go and sing."

"Nothing, we were just seeing how you were doing."

"Where's your redheaded friend…?"

"Atlanta? Oh, she's in the arcade."

"Perfect."

"What?"

"Oh… nothing," she rushed. "Just talking to myself." A scraping noise resounded around the wooded deck as a karaoke set was being assembled by deck hands. She laughed giddily and got up; leaning forward and planting a wet kiss on Archie's milky pale cheek, leaving a lipstick mark the size of a cherry.

"Talk to ya later Arch," she said, winking a heavily made up eye, her long black lash whishing against her bronzed cheek.

"Uh… bye," he murmured dreamily, slumping forward, his head between his hands and elbows on the table. "Isn't she… something else?" he asked dazedly to Herry, Odie, and Neil as she walked away. The boys exchanged bemused looks.

"I don't know Archie," Odie said awkwardly. "She seems pretty…"

"Boring," Neil finished flatly. Herry nodded his agreement.

"What, girls have to be fighting monsters or kicking our butts to be attractive?" Archie demanded. "They have to be like Atlanta? If she's what you call attractive, you guys are seriously stupid. She's the ugliest thing to walk this earth."

Baffled silence followed, and then there was an audible choke. Herry, Odie, and Neil whirled to see their friend standing there, her face ashen. The sparkle in her hazel eyes had dimmed, and a hurt, confused look replaced it instead. Her short tomato red hair was ruffled by the wind, and her t-shirt was stained with mud. Part of her cargo pant's hem had been ripped, and she looked like a hobo. Wordlessly, she turned on her heel for a moment, and Herry could have sworn he saw the glitter of tears in her eyes. Then she faced them, and the hint of sorrow he had glimpsed was replaced by anger.

"The ugliest thing to walk this earth?" she asked casually, but her clenched fists suggested otherwise. "I think YOU already accomplished that."

He stiffened, but didn't answer her. Even more annoyed, she stalked over to him and grabbed his shoulder, jerking him around. "What's wrong with you?" she snapped, before seeing the red glare in his eyes. Instead of a misty blue they were a violet purple, cold and cruel. She gasped and staggered back. "What has she done to you?" Without waiting for an answer she seized his arm and tried to pull him off the bench, turning to the others. "We've got to get off this boat," she said through gritted teeth. "Something's horribly wrong."

But at that moment Archie retaliated against her touch, leaping up and pushing her forcefully away. Falling forward, she pitched onto the floor, ripping his sweater away from his body, revealing the white shirt underneath. Gasping for breath, she scrambled to her feet, amazed. He had hurt her. Something was definitely seriously wrong, but her instinct reacted first. She pushed him back, sending him staggering backwards. He crashed into the bench, tipping it over. Jumping agilely back to his feet, he swung at her, but she dodged.

"Awe, you can't even throw an accurate punch," she taunted. "What happened to all that training from Ares? Was it lost in the maze of your big fat head?" Ducking another punch, she kicked him in the groin, and then punched him in the face. He doubled over in pain, clutching the hurt area.

Then he looked her in the eyes, and for a moment, she perceived bewilderment, but then they glazed over again. The moment knocked some sense into her, and she realized what she was doing: fighting her best friend. She looked at her hands in shock and disgust, as though they were dirty. She should be helping him. She turned and saw Herry and Odie watching with mouths hanging open in shock. Neil was busy inspecting his nails, as if they were the most interesting thing in the big wide world.

Suddenly the music started. Static from the microphone caused them all to cover their ears in annoyance for a moment, but then Heidi stepped forward on the tiny platform that had been set up.

"Hey everyone, I'm Heidi, and I'm gonna sing you some tunes." She flashed an award-winning grin and opened her mouth to sing. The deck grew quiet, and Atlanta was surprised to admit that she was good- really good. As she watched Archie begin to sway to the music, she couldn't help but think- too good.

After a few moments of listening to her sing, the huntress grew bored, and searched for Herry, Odie and Neil in the gathering crowd. They were over by the refreshments, Herry gorging himself on donuts and punch, and Neil complaining about the lack of escargot. Odie stood silently among them, sipping some cola. Smiling softly, thankful at least for SOME friends who were easy to boss around, she turned to make sure Archie was still within her watchful eye. But she was alarmed to see that he was gone, and Heidi was no longer singing.

Whipping around frantically, she tried to find him. Searching the crowd, she thought she saw him near the railing. Frowning, she followed, nudging her way through the thickening crowd, muttering to herself about never taking another boat again. The wind picked up alarmingly, and the waves rocked the boat back and forth hazardously. She staggered like a drunk as the boat swayed, and she thought she might hurl. But all thoughts of sickness faded when she noticed Archie standing on the railing, arms open to the sky.

"Archie!" she screamed. "You idiot! Get off the railing! You'll…"

He couldn't hear her. Before she could dash to him, he dove into the sea.

"…fall."

Horror struck her like a lightning bolt, and she ran to the side of the boat, glancing over the side. "Archie!" she shrieked at the white-capped waves. There was no answer. Thunder rolled overhead and the sky turned a slate gray. A torrent of rain began to fall, and she searched blindly through the overwhelming darkness. "Archie! Archie! ARCHIE!"


	25. My Archie! No Touchy!

Chapter 25: My Archie! No Touchy!

**A/n: Finally an update. Sorry I haven't posted for a while, and don't be afraid to tell me if this chapter sucks. Have been working hard on a novel, so not alot of time to write otherwise. Thanx for being patient, and of course, every author loves reviews!Becky**

Straining her eyes through the pouring rain, Atlanta searched for that telltale purple hair that had caused her eyesore from the moment she had met him. Tears pricked her eyes as she remembered all the times they had teased each other about their far too vibrant hair, and the memory hurt, especially at the prospect of losing him now. Atlanta had always considered herself tough, but now that she felt so hopeless, she wanted to break down and cry.

People had hurried down to their cabins to avoid getting wet, except for a few who ran up to her, faces worried. Herry, Neil, and Odie surrounded her, hair slick against their necks from the rain.

"Where's Archie?" shouted Neil, screaming to be heard over the howling gusts.

"In the sea somewhere," Atlanta yelled. "And I'm going in!"

"Not without a life vest," Odie interrupted, handing her a floatation device to wrap around herself. Attached to it was a thick rope. "When you find him, give it a tug," he said.

Reluctantly, she slipped through the donut-shaped float, then turned, held her breath, and jumped into the sea. The icy-cold water sent shivers up her spine, but as she opened her eyes underneath the surface, she found it hard to believe that anything was wrong. Fish swam calmly in between coral, which boasted colours of the rainbow and colours not even part of the rainbow. Atlanta felt a fervent urge to just relax, to allow the water pressing in on her to flow through her mouth, to her lungs, to become a part of her. But she suppressed the urge with a shake of her head. Breaking the surface, she gasped for air, eyes darting around for any sign of her friend.

Then, she saw him, breaking through the waves and struggling to swim towards another woman. Atlanta didn't even have time to be jealous. It wasn't like she really liked him in that way, anyway, she told herself. Not really. But kind of. Maybe? She was surprised to admit she didn't know. She had tried to kiss him, hadn't she? A flush crept across her face, and she decided that that had purely been instinctual, nothing of feeling at all.

"You're wasting time," she spat at herself. "Go save him, you bleary-eyes dolt!"

The self-scolding roused her inner-Jay, except it was Jane with her, the girl who always knew what to do, was never alarmed by anything but a day without being bothered by Cronus, and did not let his heart lead her. Atlanta felt so much like Jay that she actually cleared her throat, and with a deep, rich voice, said mockingly, "We don't have time for fun. We must save the world!" It made her feel a lot better, and without any further feel-good techniques at the expense of her friend, she began to swim towards Archie.

It took her a great effort to get to him with the waves fighting her every movement, trying to set her back to where she had begun. But Atlanta had always been a strong swimmer, and she used that to her advantage. And then, as she neared, she heard the song.

Heidi was singing some trashy love song that sounded like gibberish to Atlanta's ears, but Archie was rapt, eyes wide and dreamy, and his smile smug. Heidi's voice sounded as though a rat had suddenly bitten her and given her its power of speech, which isn't very strong, but Atlanta suspected he heard the next Kelly Clarkson. She was surprised that she didn't hear the same beautiful voice as before, but she guessed it was because she had not hated Heidi as much as now. The girl, or siren, Atlanta presumed, was floating easily in the water, smiling at Archie like a cat waiting for prey.

Atlanta kicked her feet to gain momentum, and finally came within a hopeful radius, grabbing Archie by his soaking wet shirt and dragging him towards her. Wrapping her arms around his waist protectively and maybe a trifle possessively, she glared at Heidi and hissed, "My Archie! No touchy!"

Heidi's eyes widened with surprise, and then her face contorted in fierce anger, the tiger being deprived of food. "Me wants Archie-kins!" she screeched, lurching to grab his ankle, which happened to be the one with his brace. Pain spurted through his leg and up his body, and maybe that was what snapped him out of his reverie.

"Uh?" he blinked a few times to clear his head; then did a double-take. Heidi, Atlanta, and him were swimming in the middle of the ocean, and Atlanta and Heidi were fighting over him. He couldn't help but feel a little cheeky, and just to peeve Atlanta, joked, "Whoa, ladies, there's enough of me for everyone! Atlanta, you can have a finger, but Heidi gets my heart!" Atlanta, more than annoyed, growled incoherently and smacked his head with her hand.

"I come all this way to rescue you from this singing menace, and that's all you can say?"

"Geez, no sense of humour in this one."

"Archie! Stop… acting… like… Neil!"

That shut him up, and she quickly remembered to tug the rope, and as the others on deck began to tow them back, she realized that they were dragging Heidi. The siren's big blue eyes were narrowed, and her smile cold and concise. Her hair was wet and long, smothered across her temple and back. Atlanta swung and kicked, her aim accurate against the monster's stomach.

Heidi moaned and let him go, but grasped Atlanta's foot with a perfectly manicured hand, fingernails digging into her flesh, as sharp as knives. Atlanta winced and punched vainly at her, but couldn't reach.

"This sucks," she complained, realizing what she would have to do. To Archie, she commanded, "Here, take this float. Get on the boat." He began to protest about leaving her alone, but she didn't feel touched. "Just do as I say!" she snapped, and slid out of the device underwater without another word.

"Fine," he grumbled. Then he realized something. Turning to the general direction she had disappeared to, he shouted, "You rhymed!"

Atlanta, still attached to Heidi, resurfaced, glaring spitefully at the siren. She began to kick the monster, who simply laughed and dodged her blows, or even worse, returned them with even more painful ones of her own.

"My dear, there's only one way to kill a siren, as I'm sure you're trying unsuccessfully to do," she said, smirking.

"Oh yeah what's that?" she grunted, aiming another shot at the monster's belly.

"A sing-off."

"What?"

"If you can beat me at singing, I will die. But if I beat you…" she grinned evilly. "You don't want to know. Let's just say that I have a lot of piranhas to feed, and they haven't been fed in a really long time. So they're hungry."

Used to many life-and-death situations, Atlanta didn't flinch or cower, but she sighed. This whole, beat me or else you die thing was so cliché, even if there was a surprising twist of piranhas.

"Oh yeah? You know the only way I can die?"

"What's that?" Heidi looked genuinely interested, her perfectly arched brow cocked slightly, giving her a pretty-girl-likes-to-know-everything look.

Atlanta grinned. "Can't tell until you agree to do my contest instead."

Heidi glared at her suspiciously. "I thought you were human, and can die easily."

Atlanta feigned indifference. "Oh yeah? Well, you were misinformed. Haven't you realized that I don't die easily? Any other girl would have been killed by now. I… have the blood of a goddess running through my veins. I am a demigod."

Heidi's eyes widened and she stared at Atlanta with something that looked like a cross between respect and lust to kill. "It is said to be a greater honour to kill a demigod than any other hero. It is a sign that the gods can be defied, can be hurt, and we love that." A cruel glimmer of malice glazed her eyes, and she said candidly, "I will accept your contest, you disgusting demigod."

"Good. The only way you can kill me," she lied. "Is if you beat me in a footrace. If I win, you must sing so high you pop, and if you win, I am yours to do what you wish to."

Heidi's smile faltered. "That… is it?"

Atlanta felt confused. "Yes, that's it."

"Well, that sounds easy; I am a very good runner."

Stopping her grin before it could become too wide and alert her enemy of ulterior thoughts, she said to herself, "But I'm better."


End file.
